


The (not so pragmatic) Tales of Ba Sing Se.

by neincraff



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: College AU, F/M, FWB, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Modern AU, Smut, a lil angst sprinkled in too, but like theyre here and there, nonbending au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:15:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 70,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23503708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neincraff/pseuds/neincraff
Summary: Halloween night: everyone's favorite night of the year to dress up, have fun, and forget who you really are for a few hours.  Katara, a promising university student, sets out with her friends to have some fun after the stress of her breakup and exams.  But none of them can figure out who the handsome stranger was that she met in a bar, and neither can she.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 166
Kudos: 569
Collections: best zutara fics





	1. Chapter 1

It had been a long week for Katara. It began with her breakup, which ended up being mutual and without a lot of tears or heartbreak. Aang was a great guy, he really was, but it just wasn’t working out anymore between them. The two met at freshman orientation nearly four years ago. He was a prodigy, starting college at sixteen, dual majoring in Philosophy and International Relations and quickly make friends with his professors and peers. That’s what really attracted her to him she supposed, although they’d been friends for a year or so before they dated. She liked seeing how passionate he was, and she loved that he was so focused on being a political advocate for his people. Despite the difficult upbringing, he was bubbly and always full of energy, wanting to get out and see the world. The early parts of their relationship were so much fun; they did something every weekend. He loved going hiking, going out to eat, and everything he found for them to do was always fun, no matter what it was. He even took her to one of those lame trivia and karaoke nights Ba Sing Se University hosts every once in a while, and that ended up being a blast. 

Being pre-med, her work started getting in the way. She didn’t have the time to do all of that fun stuff anymore. Her classes were harder and more demanding, and MCATs were coming up, and he had trouble seeing all of that. He wasn’t selfish, she would never say that, but he didn’t like to have to split time with her. He always managed to find time to be with her, but he had trouble understanding that her work was demanding in a different way. On top of coursework she was a medical scribe, another thing besides her 4.0, excellent letters of rec, and being apart of Medlife to help her get into med school. The hours sucked and the pay did too, but it was a really good experience and she was learning a lot. Aang tried to be supportive, and she could tell he was really proud of her, but her schedule was so crammed senior year and they almost never found time for each other anymore. The little things had started bubbling to the surface around September; all of the sudden he hated that she ate meat and smoked and drank around him, and she couldn’t stand his childishness anymore. Even though it was a clean break it had been hard; he was her only serious college boyfriend, and they’d been friends all four years. Not her first, but at one point she thought he was going to be her last. 

The thing she was most concerned about was how this was going to affect their friend group, but thankfully it didn’t. Aang was really close with her brother, who went to a Kyoshi University in the same city. Sokka was more of a domestic law guy rather than international, but he was goof like Aang was so they hit it off early on. Sokka met this sorority girl, Suki, and they started going on double dates and to house parties together. Even though Aang didn’t drink, he still loved being a part of the scene and he always made himself the life of the party. That’s where they met Toph, who wasn’t part of the house but loved having fun and was her current roommate, and they’d been one big happy group of friends ever since. All of them had noticed something was off for a while now and had heard the arguments from both sides. It was actually Suki that suggested to her they take a break and when she thought it over, she thought a break-up was probably better.

Of course, this all had to happen the week she had her biochem midterm and her microbio project due. If she was going to be a doctor, she knew that there would be plenty of insanely busy weeks like this when she needed to hunker down and just get herself though. Exhausted and emotionally drained, she was spending her Friday evening alone in bed, eating snacks and curled up with a nature documentary. It was weird, having a night off just to herself. Usually on nights off she’d go out with Aang or they’d text or something, but today it was just her, a cozy blanket, and her laptop.

“Hey, sugar queen.” She kept the door open, and her roommate knocked on the frame and came in.

“Hey.” She paused her movie and looked up.

“I can’t see what you’re doing right now, but I’m figuring you’re sitting in bed and not getting ready since apparently you told Suki you’re not coming out with us tonight.”

“Yea, sorry, I just really want a night off.”

“No you don’t.”

She knew Toph couldn’t see the confused face she just made, so she had to ask: “What?”

“Come on!” She implored. “The best thing you can do for yourself right now is get out there and have some fun.” She leaned herself against the far wall and crossed her arms. She was so hard to say no to, and she almost never took no for an answer anyway.

“I know it’s Halloween and I know we were all really looking forward to this, but I think it’s better if I just stay in.”

“Aang’s staying in with Sokka.”

That surprised her. Halloween was his favorite holiday, he never missed it. Each year he did a better costume than the last, and he made them himself. He really must be hurting if he didn’t want to go out. They all always went out for Halloween, it was their tradition, and it hurt to think that it was breaking apart too.

“Is he taking it that hard?”

“Nah, he said he’s getting tired of the whole party crowd. Sokka’s keeping him busy with Smash for the night so he doesn’t feel left out.”

An all-night Smash tournament between the two sounded like a good time for both of them. And Aang had told her before that he was tired of the drinking, so that was believable enough. As they got older they partied less and less, so it wasn’t out of the question that he would want to stop and start staying in more. Since she knew he wasn’t going out it and that she wouldn’t see him, it did make it more compelling. 

“That’s good. I still think I’d rather stay in, though.”

“I’ll buy.”

Toph was a lot more well-off then she liked to put out there. She never dressed in designer, she never spent a ton at once, but she always offered to pick up the bar tab or pay for dinner when they were strapped for cash. She didn’t talk about her parents much, only that there were a lot of issues between them, but the few times she met them they acted like they had money. They gave Toph this nice apartment when she started going to university, and they let Katara stay there for practically nothing. She knew that they could be a little overboard when it came to Toph; they thought she needed a lot of looking after because she was blind. So they gave her this nice, safe apartment that was easy for her to get around in, and let Katara stay there to help her out if she needed it. They were probably just happy Toph had a friend who was a relatively good influence, but she suspected they also were happy that their young daughter wasn’t living alone in a strange city. 

“You’re going to miss my costume this year.” Toph chimed rather convincingly.

“What is it?”

“If you come out with me and Suki then you’ll see it.”

“Ok, fine, you wore me down.” She shut her laptop and got out from under the covers, dusting the crumbs off of her bed. 

“Yes!” Toph exclaimed, pumping her fist before leaving the room and pulling out her phone. “Siri, text Suki.” Maybe this could still be fun, just the three girls. 

Suki loved doing hair and makeup so as soon as she heard it was on, she came over so the three girls could get ready together. Their quiet apartment was filled with the smell of hair spray and perfume as Toph’s “Party Anthemz” playlist blasting from the bathroom. Toph usually kept her looks relatively simple, but this surprise must be more elaborate than she thought if she needed Suki’s help. Katara had a stand-up mirror in her room, so she did her costume and makeup in there. She was keeping it simple this time around, just going as some generic spirit with an off the shoulder red dress. To jazz it up, she pained red lines on her face and shoulders like tiger stripes, completing it with red eyeshadow, mascara and red lipstick. She didn’t feel like bothering with her hair, so she just ended up leaving it down.

She was finished long before her girlfriends were, and they forced her to wait in the living room until the big reveal. She sat on the arm rest of the couch, scrolling through her phone, and waited until they were finished. When the two stepped out of the bathroom she had to cackle and doubled over with laughter.

“I present to you, the Kyoshi Warriors!” Suki bowed dramatically, showing off the elaborate costume she designed for her and Toph. That was the teasing name that Sokka had started calling her sorority after the gaggle of women teamed up against him when he got in some petty argument with Suki. Their costumes resembled samurai armor, featuring the hunter green and gold that was the colors of their sorority. The war paint was beautiful too, with white painted faces and hard black outlines around the eyes and dramatic red eyeshadow and lipstick. Both had their hair pulled back but kept it in a simple ponytail. Toph even had a fake katana strapped to her belt, which she dramatically took out of the sheath and posed with in her hands.

“I love it!” She grinned from ear to ear, “Hold on, I have to get a picture, Sokka is going to die!”

They made sure to snap plenty, each posing with their costume individually and getting enough group shots to rival a modeling agency. Toph didn’t care about pictures for obvious reasons, but Suki loved commemorating moments like these. She was always their amateur photographer, and she always got the best pics. 

They went to their usual pregame spot, a cheap sports bar, and since it was still early they got dinner together too. Despite the price the food was always great and since Toph knew one of the bartenders they always made the drinks strong. Everyone was careful to avoid messing up their makeup, taking tiny bites and sips and desperately trying not to get anything on their costumes. Toph had been right, this was what she needed, just going out and having some fun with friends. They got a lot of questions on the costumes, and Toph made sure to keep their drinks topped off so everyone was merry. 

The next thing she remembered, she was laying at home in bed with the worst migraine of her life. She tried to just lay still, trying to drift back into unconsciousness and sleep it off, but her stomach got the best of her. She jumped out of bed and made a beeline to the bathroom and vomited what felt like a week’s worth of food. When she got it all out, she wiped the sweat and puke from her face with a towel. She nearly had a heart attack when she looked down and saw all of the red on the white linen, but when she looked in the mirror she realized she’d slept in all of her makeup from last night. It was smeared around her face now, and when she looked down at herself she saw that she was still in the costume too. With a groan, she pulled out the makeup removed from under the bathroom sink and took it all off. The ruined makeup looked ridiculous, but her face underneath didn’t look much better. She had major dark circles under her swollen, red eyes; she looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Once the makeup was gone, she brushed her teeth to get the taste of liquor and vomit out, got a quick drink of water from the sink, grabbed the bathroom trash can and brought it back to her room before crawling back into bed.

Somehow she managed to get some rest, not waking again until well after midday. She woke up again with that familiar pull in her stomach. She grabbed a hair tie from the nightstand and pulled her curly brown hair back off of her face just in time before grabbing the trash can and hurling again.

“Is that you, sugar queen?”

She looked up to see her friend coming though the door with her water bottle; she hadn’t even realized it wasn’t in her room. Toph was out of her makeup and costume by now, sporting her familiar oversized t-shirt and sweatpants look.

“Yea.” She croaked out to her friend.

“Hey, she’s up.” Toph turned around and called to what must have been Suki before climbing onto her bed and handing her the water.

“Thanks.” She set the trash can back on the floor and took a long drink.

“Last night was crazy, huh?”

“Yea, apparently.” She rubbed her face, trying to force herself to wake up. “What happened?”

“You don’t remember?” Her friend went wide eyed.

“No?” She was trying hard to think back, but she couldn’t remember anything extraordinary. The last thing she remembered doing was eating dinner and having a few drinks, that was it. She never got black out drunk, she was always super careful not to, for obvious reasons. 

“How’s the lucky lady doing?” Suki strolled in with a smile; she was back to normal too.

“Huh?”

“She blacked out.” Toph turned around and told her.

“No way.” Suki’s smile faded and she came over and sat on the bed.

“Guys, you’re starting to freak me out, did we get arrested or something?”

Her friends gave each other a nervous look, and Suki pulled out her phone and scrolled though her feed.

“You mean, you don’t remember this?”

She gave it over to her and played the video. It was her in her red dress from last night making out with some guy at a bar she didn’t recognize. She didn’t recognize the guy either; it looked like he was dressed as a ninja, with black clothes and a blue mask tied around his neck; she figured it was off of his face so that they could kiss. He was tall and kind of cute with short black hair, but it was hard to tell his features since the video wasn’t very clear. They weren’t just kissing, they were going pretty hot and heavy, his hands running along her body and around her waist and through her hair. He wasn’t really being a perv about it, keeping his hands off her chest and ass, but he was definitely enjoying what he was doing and so was she. They kept each other pinned in that little corner of the bar; sometimes she had her back to the wall, then they’d switch and he did, but they never let each other go. 

“You guys were so friendly last night we figured you knew him.” Suki finally admitted.

“Honestly,” Toph piped up, “Sometimes it’s nice to be blind. From what Suki told me, I wouldn’t have wanted to see what you guys were doing. We had to drag you off of him to get you home.”

She could feel her face getting red as she kept watching it over and over, trying to figure out of she knew who he was or if she’d seen him somewhere before. But nothing came to mind, and she gave the phone back to her friend and covered her face with a pillow.

“Aw, no, don’t be embarrassed.” Suki put her hand on her leg. “I reported it, it’s going to get taken down.”

“Report it?” She uncovered her face, slightly in shock. “You mean, that’s on the internet?”

“It was on the OMU Party King’s account this morning, but it won’t be for long.”

Of course it was. Because this situation couldn’t possibly get any worse. Some stupid jock from Omashu U decided to video her making out with a guy and put it on the internet for everyone to see. She’d bet that asked someone to film it to show off or win a bet or something. She just covered up her face and groaned into the pillow.

“Please don’t tell my brother, or Aang.” She begged the girls, muffling her voice through the soft pillow.

“We won’t.” Toph assured her. “Your secret is safe with us.”

“Do you guys know who he is? Did anyone tag him in the video?”

“No, I’ve never seen him around.” Suki admitted. “I don’t think he goes to OMU, but I can ask some of the girls and see if they know him.”

“Just keep it discrete.” She just wanted to sink into her bed and never emerge ever again and pretend like none of this ever happened. She never did anything like this before, and it now she felt like the entire city was going to know her from this one video. At least you couldn’t see them drinking, or else it could hurt her change at getting into med school. She wasn’t sure if she even wanted to know who the guy was, maybe it would be better to just try and forget about. She didn’t truly remember it happening in the first place, and it was best if things stayed that way.

* * *

Zuko woke up on a very uncomfortable and lumpy couch in his friend’s shitty apartment. He wasn’t much of a friend, really, more of someone he just bought weed from whenever he was in town. Jet seemed to really like him, probably because he knew who his family was, and he was a big partier. He’d had been begging to get him out to the bars since he moved here, and he finally caved in. He was surprised when his uncle actually encouraged him to go, telling him to go meet new friends, and maybe go meet a girl.

At least the last part was true, even though it shouldn’t have ended up like that. He could barely remember what happened, just that she came up to him and they started talking, then they were making out against the back corner of the bar. She never gave him a name or a number, or if she did he forgot it. The only thing he was certain about was that Mai was going to be pissed.

He’d been sulking about their breakup for a few weeks now, ever since his dad kicked him out and he came to live with his uncle in Ba Sing Se. She dumped him once she realized they would have to do long distance. Mai was not a patient girl; she was pretty laid back, sure, but she was also very in the moment when it came to their relationship. If they went a week without going out, she’d get all huffy about it. A product of her upbringing, he supposed. Even if they weren’t together anymore, if she found out she’d sic her army of girlfriends on him and he’d wake up with a flurry of texts from girls he’d never met calling him a dick and writing call-out posts about how he moved on too quick so now he was cancelled. Not really that intimidating, but certainly annoying, and he did still like her. It was the longest relationship he’d ever had, and he had to go and ruin it by mouthing off to his dad.

Well, those were thoughts for another time. For now, he needed to get himself off this gross couch and get his ass back to his uncle’s place. Knowing Jet and his roommates, there was no telling what this couch had seen in the past, and he was trying his best not to think about it. His uncle’s apartment wasn’t much bigger than this, but at least it didn’t smell like cigarettes and old clothes. 

He got himself up and rummaged through the pantry, still in his black clothes from last night. Jet told him he could take what he wanted, and he found some cereal and a bowl. He couldn’t find any milk, go figure, so he just made do. By the time he got back on the couch with his meal fit for a king, Jet came sauntering into the room with his vape, waking and baking. 

“What’s happening?” He asked casually before sitting down in the lawn chair across from the couch. Zuko just nodded and ate his cereal in silence.

“You get that girl’s number?”

“No.”

“Too bad, she was hot. If you didn’t want her, I was gonna hit her up.”

He wrinkled his nose at that statement, but he couldn’t figure out why it disgusted him so much. It just wasn’t raised be this blasé, passing around girls’ numbers like prizes. It certainly wasn’t his style, and he didn’t like the implication that Jet would expect to hand over her information if he had managed to get it.

“Well, I have something that’s going to make you very happy.” He said with a sly smile, opening up his phone and setting it down on the table between them. Zuko set down his bowl and picked it up. He had a video playing of him and that girl from last night, a video of them up against the corner in the crammed bar. He didn’t need to watch the rest of it to understand what Jet had videoed him doing.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” He snapped, still holding the phone but waiving it in the air. “Delete it right now, or I’m gonna break this.”

“No, listen,” Jet said calmly, taking another hit from the vape. “This is a good thing. Your ex sees this and she’s gonna get super jealous and she’ll come running back. Trust me.”

“She sees this and she’s never gonna speak to me again. Besides, it’s creepy. Take it down.”

“Ok, fine, whatever you say.” He extended his hand to give him back the phone, and he made sure he took it off of the stupid college party account that he ran. God only knows how many people he sent that to, and he was starting to get red just thinking about it. It looked like coming to Ba Sing Se was only creating more problems for him instead of allowing him to escape from them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok you guys convinced me, here's another chapter. Thanks for all the love. I'll try and update it weekly, but no guarantees. Still don't have a ton of direction, but it's starting to come together.
> 
> -nein

Months went by and still no one could figure out the identity of the Blue Spirit. That was what Suki had started calling him, since he wore a blue mask the night they met. She asked around, keeping it discrete like Katara had asked, but no one could turn up anything. She hadn’t been able to go out with her friends much since Halloween, but every time she did, she kept an eye out for him. She didn’t really know why she was doing it; Suki kept teasing her that she had a crush on him, but how could she have a crush on someone she didn’t remember? She wrote it off as nerves and anxiety more than love, which was far more rational. She didn’t like that there was someone out there that knew intimately that she couldn’t remember. She really didn’t like that she didn’t know the identity of the person who posted the video of them either, whether it was him or someone he knew. Regardless, it was all but forgotten by now, and life had moved on. The semester ended, MCATs were done, applications to med schools were sent out. Her friend group reunited after she and Aang split, and the two would even text occasionally. From what she could gather he was doing well, and she was happy to hear that he was doing well after the breakup. They obviously weren’t as close as before and she didn’t see him as often, but they were making an effort to still be casual with one another. The city was blanketed in a blizzard not once but twice, and she almost had to cancel her plans with her brother to fly home for the holidays. She lived just a twenty minute walk from the hospital where she worked and they knew that, so she took on extra hours to try and help the staff get through. Flights home were not cheap, so she was happy for the extra pay.

She only had two more workdays before leaving, and today they had her on nights. Usually she worked daylight hours but with the weather situation, being out of school, and needing the cash she signed up. The penultimate night was fairly quiet, with the usual cases here and there: a heart attack, a broken finger, some teenager who took too much LSD and had a panic attack. It was nearly one at this point, and she left at two; another hour to go. She grabbed another crappy cup of coffee from the lounge and headed to the desk where the nurses and doctors congregated to look over the paperwork for the night.

“Anything else you guys need me to look into?” She asked the two nurses on staff, leaning against the desk. Both were sweet ladies, and she’d come to love the night staff. Most of them were around age and fresh out of school. It was a lot easier to talk to them than a sixty-year-old neurosurgeon with three kids and they all tried to keep each other awake and have fun on nights, or at least as much fun as you could have in a hospital.

“No, it’s been pretty quiet. You can head home early if you want.” One said, not even looking up as she scrolled through her phone.

“Actually, wait a sec.” The other at the computer said. “Wait, did this guy have a heart attack or was it a suspected heart attack?”

“What’s his bloodwork say?” The other nurse asked, looking up from her phone.

“Hold on.” She flicked through the different tabs on the computer. “I swore it was just suspected, but maybe I read his chart wrong when I did the last round.

It took her a couple of minutes to pull up the results of his tests, so she sipped her coffee and took a chair next to the two. It looked like things were relatively normal; the bloodwork was fine, and the chest x-ray looked fine too.

“No, it was suspected; the scribe that came in before you must have put it in wrong. Can you run up and make sure it’s right on the chart? Now I’m scared that’s wrong too; I’ll fix it in the system.”

“Yea, sure.” She set her coffee down and gave them a little nod. She grabbed the room number from the nurses, took the stairs up two flights, and knocked on the door.

She heard them tell her to come in from inside the room; the light was still on, so whoever was inside must have still been awake.

“Sorry for the intrusion, I just need to look at your chart.” She explained, giving the old man in bed a polite smile before picking up the chart from the end of the bed.

“Are you the nurse?” He asked her, sitting himself up a bit.

“No, sorry, I’m just the medical scribe.” She told him, trying to read the handwriting the best she could. It looked right on the chart from what she could tell; no heart attack, just chest pains. They were keeping him overnight to monitor him and gave him some aspirin. “There’s a discrepancy between what’s on here and what’s in the system, so I’m just making sure your paperwork is all good to go.”

She set the chart back down and was about to ask if he wanted the lights off, but suddenly realized he had a guest in the room, sitting next to the head of the bed, that she hadn’t noticed before. And he was staring straight at her. She must have been so tired she didn’t see him at first, but he definitely recognized her. If he wasn’t staring at her like he’d just seen a ghost she almost would have mistaken him for someone else, but she’d finally found him. After months, it was that guy she met at the bar, sitting in her hospital at one in the morning. She still didn’t recognize most of his features, but there was a vague familiarity in seeing his face again. He was classically handsome she supposed, but the lack of sleep and artificial hospital lighting didn’t do him any favors. He had the same short black hair, but he had a circular birthmark under his eye that she didn’t remember. She started to feel her face get hot as his golden eyes drilled into her, and then she realized they’d been staring at each other a little longer than strangers normally would, and that she hadn’t said a word, and that she was completely frozen.

“Do you need me to get the nurse for you?” She finally managed to get out, trying to regain her customer-service tone of voice as she turned her attention back to the old man in bed.

“No, thank you.” He responded simply, and that was her code to leave. With as much quickness as she could without being rude, she nodded to the two and scurried out of the room and into the stairwell. She took a minute to calm herself down; why was she even so worked up? No wait, she knew why: that was the asshole that posted that video online. He took a deep breath, relaxed her shoulders, and regained her composure before whipping out her phone from her khakis and texting Toph.

_> K: URGENT UPDATE: BLUE SPIRIT FOUND. WILL EXPLAIN WHEN I GET HOME._

She figured that her roommate was probably asleep, so she copied the message and sent it to Suki too before running back downstairs and telling the nurses that the chart was fine. They let her go home just a little before 1:25 after they were sure the paperwork was good to go, and she went straight home and passed out. Toph was asleep out just like she thought, and Suki didn’t respond to her text either. She just tried to forget about it and sleep until her shift tomorrow.

She woke up to a flurry of messages from Suki trying to get all of the details. At least Toph waited to badger her until she was awake, but Suki couldn’t take not getting an answer until 11 am. Her shift started at noon, and she had let herself sleep in too late and told both she’d update them when she got off of work again. Toph just told her whatever, but Suki was not as laid back with the news.

_> S: dont think youre getting off this easy. when do you get off work_

_> K: 3_

_> S: im coming over then I NEED DETAILS WOMAN_

_> K: Ok, fine. Just let Toph know._

She was already running late and didn’t have time for this, so she just threw on her old uniform from the night before, ate a raw pop-tart, and ran out.

As her luck would have it, the first thing she had to do the discharge paperwork for the old guy that she saw last night. She shadowed the doctor into the room, thankful that this time she had someone to buffer her. Thankfully the Blue Spirit was nowhere to be seen this time; it was just her, the patient, and the doctor. She breathed a sigh of relief and wrote down everything the doctor asked her to. When the doc asked if he had any further questions, he had one or two about the medication and such before he turned his attention to her.

“You were working here late last night, weren’t you?” She gave him a nod in return.

“I hope you’re not working your staff to death.” He told the doctor. It almost sounded like he was telling him off, but his tone was too gentle and quiet; more of a joke than anything.

“Well, with the holidays, who couldn’t use some extra cash?” She told him with a polite smile and a shrug, feeling like she needed to defend the doc a bit. It wasn’t his fault that her schedule was so crazy. “Don’t worry, you were my last last night and my first this afternoon; I did get to go home and sleep in between.”

“Youth.” He said turning back to the doctor and cracked a smile. “If I worked hours like that, you’d see me in here every week!” The three shared a polite chuckle, and the doctor told him he was free to leave.

“Oh, one last thing.” He said to the two before leaving, pointing to a small stack of cards on the bedside table. “Here, take these. Give them to all of the staff here. They’ve been more than excellent, and it’s the least I can do for making you come to work during the holidays.”

They were flyers of some kind, and she politely took one and stuffed it in her pocket, then got back to work. The next few hours were largely uneventful, and she went about her normal routine before going home and being barraged by her friends.

“Tell me everything!” Suki screamed as soon as she unlatched the door and walked in.

“Ok, ok, calm down.” She told her, waving her hands to try and get her to relax before sitting down on the couch while Toph and Suki sat across from her at the kitchen table. They both looked at her expectantly as she told them what happened.

“Ok, so last night at 1 am I went into an old guys room to check the paperwork and he was just sitting there with him as his guest. That’s all I got for you.”

“That’s it?” Suki said in surprise.

“How did you know it was him?” Toph asked.

“Well, he had the same black hair, and the same face, I think… but he definitely knew who I was.”

“Well did you talk to him? What did he say?” Suki continued the questioning, sitting up in her chair.

“No, we didn’t say anything to each other. We just both realized who we were and left it at that.”

“You still didn’t get his name?” Suki nearly screamed, going as wide eyed as she could.

“I was at work! What did you want me to do?”

“Did you get the old guy’s name?” Toph asked, much calmer than Suki.

“Isn’t that, like, really illegal to disclose patients’ names and information?” Suki turned and asked her.

“Yea, it is, but he gave me this.” She pulled the flyer he had given her out of her pocket and handed it over to Suki.

“Well, it sounds like a sheet of paper.” Toph mused. “But I’m guessing you’re referring to what’s on the sheet of paper.”

“It’s a coupon to his tea shop.” Suki told her. “The Jasmine Dragon, never heard of it.”

“I haven’t either.” She told her.

“I have.” Toph said, sitting up in her chair. “I’ve only been there once or twice, but it’s ran by this really sweet old guy. The tea’s great, too. I haven’t spoken to him that much, but he never mentioned he had any family and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t brand it as a family business.”

“Do they only let family visit during those hours?” Suki asked, turning back to her.

“No, anyone can be a visitor. I’d be a little surprised if they weren’t related, though. No one our age is friends with someone who’s old enough to be their grandfather, and I doubt an employee would be with his manager in the hospital at one in the morning.”

“Well, now you have a lead.” Suki said, giving her back the flier. “What are you going to do about it?”

That was the question she’d been trying to answer for hours now, and she rubbed the bridge of her nose as she tried to think of what to tell her friends. On one hand, she could still just let things be and probably never see him again and have it end there. It’s not like she had any emotional connection to this person; she didn’t even know his name. Ba Sing Se was a big city, and now she knew where to avoid. On the other hand, a guy who posted an unseemly video of her online (and presumably kept it for posterity or potential blackmail) knew where she worked. 

“I think I’m going to confront him.” She finally told them, putting the flyer on the table. She liked to think she wasn’t an overly dramatic or confrontational person, but this was different. It wasn’t some petty argument; it was personal and embarrassing. Not to mention, he could have other damning information about her that she couldn’t remember giving him. If he was a dick enough to post that video, who knew what else he had up his sleeve. 

“I don’t want him to think I’m scared of him and that he can do whatever he wants. I’m gonna go down to the Jasmine Dragon and scope things out. But this is going to have to wait until after the holidays.”

She nearly forgot about her flight out tomorrow morning in all the chaos. She still had barely packed and she needed to get a hold of Sokka and see what time they were going to meet at the airport.

“Take some time to think it over.” Suki told her. “If you still feel the same way when you get back, Toph and I will go with you.”

“I appreciate that guys, but I think I should do this alone. He might not even be there; this could just be a waste of time. And if he is, I want it to be one on one.”

“Well, if something happens, we’re always a text away.” Suki said.

“I might be blind,” Toph chimed in, cracking her knuckle, “but I still know where to hit to make it hurt.”

* * *

Wasn’t it just his luck that the only fling he ever had reappeared right in front of his uncle? He knew he probably looked like an ass just sitting there staring at her, but what was he supposed to do? She was working, and the sleeplessness and worry of his uncle nearly having a heart attack overtook all rational thought. The girl looked like a deer in headlights as soon as she spotted him; clearly, she just as surprised as he was. Unfortunately, his uncle caught a whiff that something was going on that he wasn’t privy too, and he didn’t like it.

“It seems to me like she has a little crush on you.” He turned his head and told him as soon as she scurried out the door and they were alone again.

He could feel his embarrassment welling and his face getting red, but he just kept his head down and pulled out his phone.

“It’s well past one.” He pointed out to him. “I’m gonna head back to the apartment and let you rest. Call me in the morning when they’re discharging you and I’ll pick you up. Let me know if you want me to grab anything.”

He asked Zuko to bring in some flyers for the Jasmine Dragon to thank the staff when he came to pick him up the next morning. Getting discharged went off without a hitch and he was put on bed rest for the holidays. They closed down the shop until he was better; there was now way he could make tea the way his uncle did, and he didn’t want him worrying about work while he was supposed to be resting. Working there didn’t suck as much as he thought it would; sure, sometimes customers got bitchy or left a mess, but his uncle gave him flexible hours and he got to sit down when he was getting tired of it. He’d picked up some freelance finance work also, so with those two jobs he had a bit of savings of his own away from the family’s less than legal bank accounts. It was much more meager living than he was used to, and it certainly didn’t pay as well as working for his dad did, but that was in the past now. Although he took work and lived like he wasn’t staying here much longer, as the months dragged on he felt like this was becoming more permanent.

It didn’t help that it was the holidays. The family never got together for these things anymore; they hadn’t done that since before mom died. It was just a little harder with this being the first holiday without the luxury that his family usually had. Azula was on Ember Island this year and Mai went home to her family, judging by their Instagram accounts. Dad… well, dad was probably stationed up in his penthouse with an imported cigar and cognac. He never took a day off of work, but he allowed himself to relax just a little when business slowed during the holidays; a rightful Scrooge. All of them were too busy to care about what happened to uncle, so he didn’t bother reaching out and letting them know. He knew none of them wanted to hear from him anyway.

As his luck would have it, a few days after the shop reopened, he saw that girl again. He figured she picked up one of the fliers his uncle made him bring; there was no way she could have tracked him here otherwise. She quietly sat down in a booth on the far side, away from the counter, by herself. He stayed hidden in the back; he was working anyway, doing dishes, but uncle had other plans.

“The girl from the hospital is here.” He mentioned to him, only waiting a few minutes to bring it up. He didn’t answer, keeping his head down.

“I’m going to bring her a nice cup of jasmine.” He told him before running off. He was trying his absolute hardest not to let his uncle get to him, but he wasn't making it easy. When he was done serving her, he kept giving him nudges to go out and bus the tables. He finally took the hint and went out front to sit with her.

“My uncle isn’t going to let either of us leave until I sit down at talk to you.” He told her flatly as he sat down on the opposite side of the booth. She gave him a confused glare and he wasn’t sure how to interpret it, but he figured he should elaborate. “He doesn’t know the details, but he knows something’s going on between us and he likes meddling in my personal life.” He glanced over to where the counter was, and thankfully they were away from prying eyes.

She adjusted herself slightly to sit forward and pursed her lips. “What’s your deal?” She asked quietly, trying and failing to keep her anger subdued. “Do you get off from posting shit like that online?”

He really hoped that she hadn’t seen it. He really, really hoped that he had deleted it fast enough for anyone else to see it. This is exactly why he was so mad at Jet to begin with; it was stupid and childish, not to mention unsettling for those involved. And now he had to clean up the mess that Jet made.

“I had nothing to do with that.” He informed her.

“Well then who did?”

“It was a friend of mine. He thought he was doing me a favor, but I thought it was wrong too, so I made him take it down and delete it.”

“Oh.” She seemed to relax after hearing that, giving him a little nod and sitting back on the bench. “Some friends you have.”

“He’s not much of a friend. I haven’t spoken to him since then.”

“Do you know where I can find him?”

“Yes,” He pulled out his phone and opened the contacts, “I’ll text you everything I know about him.”

She gave him a hesitant look when she saw his phone.

“Would you rather I email it to you, or do you prefer fax?” He didn’t mean to sound so impatient; she probably had her reasons to be reserved. But he did not have time for this, and he just wanted to hurry up and give her what she wanted so she’d leave. She kept her eyes on the phone in his hand before exhaling and reaching her hand out to take it.

“Fine.” She took it from his hand and put her number in. “If you send me pictures of your junk, you’re getting blocked.”

He exhaled and smiled a little at the thought. “Same to you.” He told her, taking his phone back. He peeked the contact name before he put it away: Katara. An unusual name, but at least he knew it now.

“If I were you, I’d stay away from him.” He advised her.

“Why?” She asked, thumbing her cup of tea.

He sat forward and put his elbows on the table, trying to think of the words to say. “Jet…doesn’t take no for an answer very well. And he told me the morning after…you know… that he was interested in you.”

“I see.” She looked down at her cup, understanding but almost looking disappointed. He wasn’t going to ask why she cared so much about getting to the source; she was probably just as pissed as he was and wanted revenge. But it was odd that this was coming up now, in January, when all of this happened in October.

“Why’d you wait until now to track him down?” He asked.

“I blacked out that night.” She admitted, putting her hand on her cheek. “I didn’t know who you were.” She still didn’t know who he was, but that was fine. When he texted her the info he’d give her his first name and nothing more. Once she got the information she wanted he could go back into anonymity. 

“I’m sorry I bothered you while you were working.” She told him, tilting her head back up to look at him. “I just wanted to get to the bottom of it. I’m trying to go to med school; I don’t like people out there having blackmail on me.”

She made a fair point; he hadn’t even thought of that angle. Even if the family hated him, he could probably do something to get the funds to bury Jet for the rest of his life if he ever threatened him with blackmail. He wouldn’t put it past Jet to try and do that, either. Not that the video really showed anything too graphic, or at least he didn’t think so, but Jet had a silver tongue. He could spin it into something more than it was to get what he wanted. He already knew what he wanted from her, and he probably would want money from him. He tried to put the thought out of his mind for the moment; if Jet had wanted to cause trouble, he probably already would have.

“I didn’t know who you were or where you worked either.” He confessed, hoping it put her mind at ease to know that he hadn’t planned on seeing her the other week. “I blacked out that night too; I only remember fragments.”

“If you don’t show up at my work, I’ll stay away from yours?” Despite her earlier accusation, she didn’t seem that bad. She just wanted some answers and to make sure she wasn’t going to get taken advantage of. Thank God she offered to avoid this place; if she showed up here again, he’d never hear the end of it from his uncle.

“You’re in luck: I usually try and avoid going to the hospital.” That made her crack a smile. Now that the atmosphere between them had lightened and they were both more relaxed, he saw what he must have seen in her then. She looked a lot prettier now in casual clothes with her hair down than when she was in her uniform.

“Speaking of work,” she started to gather herself to get up. “I’ve bothered you long enough. Thanks for the information.”

“Don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about the tea either.”

“Are you sure?” She asked, stopping herself.

“My uncle remembered you from the hospital and he knows that I know you. He’s going to tell you to pay next time because he wants to keep being nosy and get you back in here.” It probably was the truth, but it was the least he could do for her. If she worked shitty hours like he knew she did, then she was probably strapped for cash anyway.

“Thanks.” She gave him a little smile and a nod and went on her way.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yea pretty obvious what next week's chapter is going to be once you get through this one, so if that bothers you then skip it. But in the meantime, the two idiots overthink things (haven't we all been there?)

_> Z: Hey. Zuko here. Here’s the info I have on Jet. Here’s his number, the address of his apt, the uni he goes to, and where he works. Not sure if he still works there. He gets fired a lot, or so I heard. Do with it what you want. But if you run into him don’t tell him I gave it to you._

_> Z: attachment (4)_

_> K: Thanks again! Wow, he lives closer to me than I would have thought, nice to know_

That was a weird way to answer that. But hey, whatever, that was her business if she wanted to give him a general location on where she lived. At least this mess was over now. Katara, what a weird name. He put his phone down on the bed and got ready for bed. He was staying in the cramped spare room; his uncle’s apartment wasn’t that big to begin with, and before he was staying there the spare room was more of a junk than anything else. Most of the junk had stayed right where it was. They had to go out and buy a cheap dresser when he first moved in, which is what he went for now. He took off the uniform that his uncle made him wear; not completely atrocious, but not ideal to wear when you’re off work for the night. He continued getting ready to do to bed, but he saw his phone on the bed was lit up again. Another text.

_> K: Hey I forgot to ask earlier, but what was the name of the bar that he took you to the night we met?_

_> Z: Flying Boar’s Head_

_> K: You know if he usually goes there? Just so I can stay away_

_> Z: Probably, but not sure. That’s just where he took me._

_> K: Ok, cool._

Cool. Now the mess was over, and at least it sounded like she was going to take his advice. He got up and hit the light next to the doorway, plugged his phone in, and got under the covers. Hopefully he’d given her enough to satisfy her. Oh wait, no, he didn’t. He wasn’t sure if she’d want it or not, but it was something. He reached over for his phone, again.

_> Z: Almost forgot. Here’s his personal Instagram handle. Not the one to the shitty party account. He doesn’t keep it private._

_> K: Hopefully part 2 of the vid isn’t on there_

_> Z: No, just more videos of him smoking weed and drinking._

_> K: How charming. Do you follow him?_

_> Z: No, I don’t have one._

A lie. Of course he did, but he didn’t want her finding it. He hadn’t posted anything since he moved here. Hopefully he hadn’t said too much and caught himself in a lie by giving it to her. You can still see people’s accounts without having one, right? Shit, did Jet follow him? Could she find him through there? He went in and blocked Jet before she could have time to check. Or did she already look and he was too late? No, he was being an idiot, of course she couldn’t have looked through the hundreds of people Jet followed in two minutes and found him.

Fuck, if she had an account, she could find his through his number. He’d better check; oh, she did. Her profile picture was her in plain scrubs and a surgical mask giving a thumbs up. With the way her eyes crinkled, it looked like she was smiling underneath the mask that obscured her face. The more recent ones were of her home and family in the South Pole. He should have figured with a name like Katara that she was from one of the Water Tribes. Scrolling down further were some pictures of the snow they had a few weeks back, saying how it reminded her of home. Oh God, next after that was Halloween with her friends. She looked so good in that off the shoulder red dress and the makeup. There were like twenty pictures, and each one was better than the last. Wow that dress… He needed to stop. He closed down her account and put his phone down, again, and shut his eyes.

Five minutes later, it lit up again. After his eyes adjusted to the bright light, he leaned on his side to read it.

_> K: Hey, have you ever been to White Jade Express?_

_> Z: No. Never heard of it._

_> K: Would you want to go there sometime?_

He locked up. He must have spent minutes just laying on his side starting at the screen. Fuck, what was he going to say? It was so forward it thoroughly threw him off. Did she actually, really, like him? They did kiss, but when they first spoke that afternoon, she acted like she hated him but their conversation was fine. Fuck it was so confusing. No, wait, was it? She just asked him out, what was confusing about that? She was interested, or else she wouldn’t have asked, but maybe she just wanted to go as friends? No, she didn't, that wasn't it. They weren't friends, they'd basically just met today. So she wanted to get dinner with someone she didn't know who she had kissed before, definitely a date. She was really pretty, and she seemed sweet, but he was going to have to forget that. This really shouldn’t progress any further than it already had. He was going to have to just be honest.

_> Z: I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be in the city. I’m not looking for anything serious right now._

He put the phone back down and stared at the ceiling. What a mess he’d gotten himself into. He was never drinking again. It took him forever to finally respond to her, and it looked like she wasn’t going to say anything back. He’d probably hurt her feelings. He hadn’t meant to lead her on, but he was drunk and stupid and it all just happened and--

His phone lit up again. He didn’t care if he blinded himself this time as he turned over and read it.

 _> K: It doesn’t have to be anything serious _😉

Oh.

He almost would have thought she was offering to just be friends with the language, but he got the message loud and clear this time. It had been months since Mai had broken up with him. All of that was in the past. He didn’t usually do these kinds of things, but maybe he should start looking at it from the other way around: he didn’t know how much longer he would be here, Mai was long gone, and she was hot. They’d already kissed; maybe things should just happen again. Maybe things didn’t need to be serious. Maybe, just once, that would be ok, right? Where’s the harm in one night? One night, then that was it, and no one would have to find out.

_> Z: Are you free Friday night?_

* * *

Truth be told, Katara didn’t know what she was doing. She was perfectly sober this time, and with no added pressure from her friends. All she told Suki and Toph was that she met him, that he seemed nice, and she found out who took the video. She relayed the info he gave her to Suki as soon as she got it so that she could do a little more digging. Her sisters knew Omashu better than she did, so they’d probably dig up more on Jet than what he gave her. The least she could do was warn everyone about it and keep them away. She barely knew Zuko, but he seemed pretty insistent that she and everyone else would be better off avoiding Jet. The more she thought about it, and looked into it, the more she agreed. Confronting would only stir up more trouble. She’d ask Suki to dig around and look into Zuko later, see if anyone knew him too. It wouldn’t be easy without a last name, but at least she had something to go on.

He was really cute, she had to at least ask. If he didn’t want to date that was fine; it was a bad time for her too. With med school coming up she might not be staying in the city much longer. It would probably keep her so busy she wouldn’t have time to go out and meet people anymore so there goes her romantic life, not that she had much of one right now to begin with. Besides, it had been months since she broke up with Aang and it was starting to get lonely. It had been even longer since she’d had sex; they stopped that long before they broke up. She’d never done a one-night stand before, but what did she have to lose? She’d also never been this forward with anyone either, but there was just something about him. She got a good feeling from him for some reason. Why not act on instinct for once in her life, just to see what it was like?

She mulled the text over for a minute, keeping her phone pressed to her chest on top of the covers. Friday; that would do.

_> K: I get off work at 8. Come over around 9._

Zuko. What a nice name.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As promised: the two finally fuck and get it out of the way (and they definitely don't like each other)

He couldn’t believe she had the gall to wear red lingerie. It nearly matched the red of that dress she wore the first night they met. It was cheap Victoria’s Secret crap; one of the overpriced, thick fabric sets they sell to broke girls to convince them they’re wearing couture. He wasted no time removing it; the material felt course and rough to him, and he wasn’t even wearing it. After seeing her apartment he thought she’d at least be in Calvin or Versace, but whatever. It didn’t really matter anyway; her bra was now on the floor on the opposite side of the room along with most of her clothes. Even her perfume smelled cheap, probably something on sale from Bath and Body Works. Again, another thing that didn’t really matter, but he didn’t mind the vague smell of vanilla and cinnamon. 

He didn’t waste much time getting her to the bed; no time for small talk, and that was something he was never good at anyway. Instead he teased her mouth open with his tongue as his hand slipped downward toward to tease her nipple, and she encouraged him with a little moan. She had a great body; most of the women he was around kept their figures willowy and delicate, either through surgery or starving. Katara was lean and thin, but not unrealistically so. She didn’t have any implants or injections either, she was a natural, normal person. It was a nice change.

He finally managed to remove the hand and reached down to remove her panties. She kicked them off and down her legs, and he positioned himself in between. She was completely naked under him now; he could feel her fingers lacing through his hair, her other hand outlining his shoulder blades, gently pulling him closer. God, he was going to enjoy this. He needed this more than he thought he had.

There was a click of a lock opening and the slight creak of a door. She froze underneath him and pulled away.

“Roommate.” She mumbled and practically threw him off. She was stronger than she looked, and she quickly got herself up and scrambled out of the door, completely naked. He heard her shout something when she reached the door frame, then she was gone. It took him a minute to realize she left the door wide open, so he quickly grabbed the sheets and barely pulled them around himself before she walked back in the room and closed the door.

“Sorry about that.” She came back in a little flustered and leaned on the door. “She needed to grab something; she won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon. Why are you staring at me like that?”

He hadn’t realized he’d been making a face, but now that she brought it up. “You always answer the door like that?”

She looked down at herself briefly before walking over to the edge of the bed. “She’s blind,” she said with a half-smile, tilting her head toward the door she just came from before kneeling on the covers.

“Oh.” Well, that made a lot of sense, but now he just looked like an idiot. She stayed kneeled on the sheets near the center of the bed, nervously tracing her thumb along her lower lip and looking away. The moment was ruined now, and he did sort of snap at her. That needed to be fixed. He uncovered himself and kneeled in front of her, placing his hands around her hips. She placed the hand that had been on her face on his shoulder and leaned her forehead against his.

“Sorry I snapped.” He said softly. He didn’t wait for her to say anything about it, leaning down and kissing her again. It didn’t take long for her to loosen back up, wrapping her arms around him and leaning into it. He pulled her hips toward him once she was comfortable again, and since they were awfully close to the edge of the bed now, he slowly pushed her downward onto the bedspread. His grip migrated from her hips to her legs, and he got off her and stood at the edge of the bed and pulled her toward him. She looked a little surprised at the sudden change of position, not quite sure what to do with herself, so he grabbed her hips and guided her to where he wanted her before slowly going in. Fucking hell, she was tight. He was going to have to go much slower than he would have liked. Was he being to forceful, did he scare her? He was never good at reading people, especially girls. She didn’t act like she was in pain, so he kept his pace steady and slow. Suddenly he was very thankful that they’d been interrupted and that he had to change his plan. If he’d fucked her like they were going to, with her being so close and wrapping her legs around him to pull him closer, he wouldn’t have been able to control himself. He either would have hurt her, or he wouldn’t have lasted, or both. It had just been too long.

She adjusted pretty quickly, rolling her head back and moaning when he was all the way in. That was all the encouragement he needed. He still had to grit his teeth to keep from ending it too quickly; the sight of her gripping the sheets and arching her back in pleasure was beyond erotic. Neither said anything; he just grabbed her hips and did whatever made her moan. Now he knew what she liked for next time. Next time? He shouldn’t be thinking like that.

“Look at me.” He didn’t mean to sound so desperate, but that was what he needed. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. The room wasn’t very well lit; she only had a desk lamp on, the overhead lighting off. But even in the shitty lighting, she had the most brilliant blue eyes. He noticed it at the hospital too, but he had a million other things to worry about at the time. He still did, but pouring all of his frustration into her was exactly what he needed. He can’t believe he had thought twice about doing this. Those eyes are what did it for him in the end; lidded with pleasure, her mouth open, her breathing ragged as her chest heaved. She was begging him without saying a word, but he listened.

She said she was on the pill, and she seemed smart enough to know better than to lie about something like that. She told him not to bother buying condoms, that since this was only a one-time thing and that she took birth control it was fine. Hopefully that wouldn’t come back to bite him in the ass later but at this point it was too late, and he really did not care. He hadn’t realized how much he’d exerted himself until it was all over and he could barely stand. She adjusted herself so that she was fully on the bed, and he sat at the edge to collect himself for a minute. He didn’t want to leave too quickly and make her feel cheap, but he they also did what they set out to accomplish. This was the end of the line.

“Oh.” She said softly, barely above a whisper, and traced her fingers along the lines of his tattoo. Her touch was so light it felt like she was barely touching it at all as her fingers followed the curling lines and outlined the face. It was a dragon that ran the length of his spine, the head stopping in the middle of his shoulder blade. He got it on an impulse after he graduated just to piss off his dad, and it certainly worked. Looking back on it, he was surprised he didn’t kick him out then and there, but he let him off with a lengthy tirade.

“Do you like it?” He tuned his head back slightly, but not enough to see her.

“Mhm.” That would make her the first person that did. Mai thought it was cool at first, but when they fought towards the end she proclaimed her hatred for it. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it now; it was a rash decision that he did for petty reasons, and half the time he forgot he had it. But at least she liked it.

It was probably better if he left now. He wasn’t going to be good at making further conversation with her. He took a deep breath and pushed himself off of the bed and started to gather up his things.

“You don’t have to go… if you don’t want to.”

He stopped himself, just about to put his boxers back on, and looked over at her lounging on the bed. “Do you want me to stay?”

“I mean… only if you want to?”

That wasn’t much of an answer. “Do you want me to?” He reiterated, this time with more annunciation to hone his point.

She gave a little nod. “Yes.”

“Ok.” He dropped what was in his hand and crawled back onto the bed. He could leave in the morning. It still didn’t have to turn into anything serious, it was still just one night. But fuck, saying no to her was going to be hard.

* * *

Katara woke up slowly the next morning, lazing underneath the warmth of the blankets for as long as she could. She was infinitely comfortable; surrounded by the warm quilts as the morning light crept through the window. When she woke up enough, she turned over to the other side of the bed. It was empty, the covers pulled back in disarray.

Well, that was it for that. That was ok; that was what they both signed up for. It was a nice night, a really nice night. It was good she got that out of her system, and that it was over now. That was a good thing, right? It was only natural she’d feel a little off about it; she wasn’t used to doing things like this, so of course she would. But she’d get over it, eventually.

Someone was in the doorway.

“I hope you don’t mind; I used your shower.”

God, he looked good. He looked like a marble sculpture you’d see in a museum, posed elegantly with his arm leaning against the door frame. Or, at least he did from the waist up, since below that was covered.

“No, that’s fine.” She told him, feeling her face starting to flush. She could feel the warmth creeping down her body again just at the sight of him. She decided she’d better sit herself up and bundled the covers to keep herself relatively modest.

“Do you want to get breakfast?” He still stood in the doorway.

“Yea, sure.” She answered him with a nod. She stayed still for a moment, but slowly realized if she was going to leave the house then she had to move. She dropped the covers and made her way to the other side of the room to her dresser. She dug around for a few things, but it didn’t take her long to get interrupted. His hand brushed against her waist, and she put what she was holding back in the drawer to turn around and face him. He was standing right behind her; God, he looked so intense it was nearly frightening. She hadn’t gotten a good judge of his height from last night; he was a head taller than she was. He was standing so close now, she could see the little splotch where his birthmark was. It was almost hard to see from far away or in the dark, a faded little scar right below the eye where a beauty mark would be. She reached up and cupped his cheek, gently running her thumb along it. He didn’t seem to like that very much, pulling his face away and looking over at her hand, and she brought her fingers away from his face.

“I’m sorry.” Her apology seemed to make him even more angry as he tilted his head to glare at her. Just when she though she’d ruined everything, he grabbed her hips, hard, and pulled her against him. He was much less graceful than the night before as he slammed his mouth into hers, she could barely breathe with how tightly he was pressing her against himself, and it was all she could do to wrap her arms around his neck. It took him a few minutes to calm down enough to let her get some air, moving down to kiss her neck. She reached down and removed the towel around his waist, so now both of them were naked once again.

She figured he’d migrate her over to the other side of the room, but to her surprise he pushed her to the side away from her dresser. He put his hands under her thighs and lifted her up, pinning her back against the wall. He wasn’t as rough as before, but the sudden shift in her weight made her uneasy.

“What are you doing?” She managed to squeak out.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” He retorted, positioning her hips on top of his. 

“You’re gonna drop me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” He scoffed at her, keeping his eyes focused down on her legs. He slowly brought her thighs further apart and seated her on top of himself. The angle here was awkward and nearly painful, but he was slow and careful like the night before. Once he was fully inside, he moved in and out, keeping her steady and pressed against him.

“But…the neighbors.” She could barely get the words out. They were doing this against the outside wall, they were going to hear.

“If you’re that concerned then stop making so much noise.” She hadn’t even realized she was. All she could do now was hold on for dear life as he kept her pinned up against the wall. It didn’t take her long to adjust to it, and she began to lean into him instead of keeping herself square against the wall as the pleasure began to creep in. He could probably tell how naïve she had been; maybe doing this kind of thing in the future was not the best idea. It certainly didn’t make her look intelligent or experienced, she felt quite the opposite. She had only been with one person before him. The sex wasn’t bad, but it was rather plain compared to all of this. Aang usually wanted her to be on top and do all of the work, which she had no problem with. But he never fucked her on the edge of the bed, and he certainly never did this. Zuko was different, but in a good way.

He gradually sped up his rhythm and she wrapped her arms even tighter around him to keep herself steady. She could feel his breath as he pressed his face into her neck, ragged and heavy. He pressed her legs open just a bit wider, going just a little deeper, and that was it for her. She tilted her head back against the wall and let the waves of pleasure flow through her body, and he didn’t last much longer after that.

After being weightless for such a long period, it was hard to stand up on her own again; after he put her down, she had to lean on the dresser to steady herself. He backed off and let her shower and get dressed, and they eventually left her apartment. They didn’t speak much after they left, but she told him she knew a good diner just a few blocks down. It wasn’t high end, just a greasy run of the mill diner, but it was cheap, close, and they made good pancakes. He looked a little out of place and nervous when they walked into the tiny entrance, but she shoved him into a booth before he could say anything about it. The waitress came and took their drink order first, both of them getting coffee.

“I’m surprised with your uncle that you’re allowed to drink coffee.” She said with a little smile, parsing over the menu. She always ordered the same thing here, so it was just habit at this point.

“Coffee is permitted when tea isn’t available.” He told her. “How else do you think I got through college?”

“Where’d you go to school?” It wasn’t really that personal of a question, but she suddenly felt like she’d ruined everything, again. The emotion completely drained from his face, like she’d just told him someone died. He clenched his jaw and looked down at the menu in his hand.

“Caldera University.” He finally told her. “I got my MBA from there.”

She gave him a little nod, and the conversation lapsed into silence. It was one of the best private schools for just about everything; it was one of the places she applied, but Caldera City is far away. She didn’t peg him as a business student, but clearly, she didn’t know him very well. Hesitantly, she decided to press it a little further.

“Are you from there?”

“Yea.” He answered her quicker this time, still keeping his eyes down. More silence; must be a touchy subject. He had mentioned he wasn’t staying in Ba Sing Se forever. Who knew why he decided to leave it and come here, but he seemed to think it wasn’t any of her business. He came off as a very private person, but then again, an hour ago they were fucking against the wall. But even then, there was something he wasn’t telling her; why’d he freak out when she touched his face? She didn’t really know what to think of it, whether she should be offended or not that he didn’t trust her and didn’t want to talk about it with her, but it did make him odd.

The waitress came and broke the silence. They got their coffee, and she ordered her usual: two blueberry pancakes and bacon on the side. He got a egg white omelet and toast.

“Did you ever talk to Jet?” He finally asked after the waitress left.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Good. He’s more trouble than he’s worth.” He eyed one of the passing waitresses quickly and lowered his voice, leaning his arms on the table. “Also, who the fuck eats steak and coffee for breakfast?

She couldn’t help but laugh, and just like that the harsh mood was diffused. The emotion and color returned to his face, and the conversation moved on.

“I don’t think it’s that common, unless you’re a body builder.” She told him. “My brother would probably like it, but it’s not my taste either.”

“Thank God.” He almost sneered when he said it.

“Its not like, a filet.” She explained, vaguely motioning to the size of the cut with her hands. “It’s usually a cheaper cut, served with eggs.”

“Cheap steak and coffee?” He wrinkled his nose after he said it. She hated to admit it, but his obstinance was kind of cute.

“Hey, I’m not from around here either, its just as weird to me.”

“Where’d you say you were from?”

“Southern Water Tribe. I moved here for school.”

“You like it here?” He took a drink from the mug.

“Yea, I do. I always wanted to get into medicine, and we don’t have a university there, so I guess I always knew I was going to have to move away.”

“Why medicine?”

“My mom passed away when I was young. We didn’t really have access to proper medical care for her there, so…”

Now it was her turn to make the conversation weird and personal. It wasn’t difficult to talk about anymore, but they still barely knew each other. He looked a little surprised after she trailed off, stammering to get out some kind of answer. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t-”

“No, it’s ok.” She assured him. “She passed away when I was like, six, so I don’t really remember her very well anymore.”

She still sensed that the conversation had turned dark. He turned his head away to look out the window.

“My mom died when I was sixteen.” He quietly admitted to her.

“I’m sorry.” She didn’t want to press him on it this time. He seemed like he only wanted to do things on his terms. She wasn’t going to be able to force him to open up, just like she wasn’t going to be able to make him go anywhere or do anything. Now that she thought about it for half a minute, it was a little odd that he decided to take her out after he said no to getting dinner with her just a few nights ago. Very odd.

“She… was in a car accident. Someone ran her off the road. They never found out who it was.”

“That’s terrible. You don’t even get any closure from something like that.”

“No.” He didn’t look as upset as before; he just looked sad now. Maybe that was why he ended up leaving, or why he wanted to go back. That she could understand; the death of her mother had a big impact on her life, and it was the reason she left too. She knew better now than to ask about it; but she wanted to keep him talking.

“Do you like working for your uncle?”

“It’s ok.”

“Do you, like, make the tea, or do you just help out?”

He smiled a little. “No. When I first moved here I told him tea was just hot leaf juice, and after that he wouldn’t let me touch it.”

“Honestly, I’m not much of a tea-drinker either.” She leaned forward on the table, cupping her mug in her hands. “The hospital only has coffee, and you learn to drink it so you can stay on at 2 am.”

“The coffee there sucks.” He said flatly.

“Everything there sucks; it’s a hospital, not a five-star restaurant.”

He gave her a half smile and looked back out the window. Eventually the waitress came and brought their food. She grabbed the container of syrup from the end of the table, drizzled it over everything on the plate, and started cutting into the mountain of food. That was another thing she liked about this place: the pancakes were serious. These weren’t your measly inch thick pancakes with a splattering of minced blueberries; they were thick and fluffy, with big whole blueberries mixed throughout. They weren’t garnished with extraneous powdered sugar or butter; they didn’t need it. The batter they used was savory enough so that all she needed to add was the syrup. All that for only $9.99.

“You have a big appetite…for a girl.”

She was just about to stuff her face, but that comment was a little off putting. 

“I’m not watching my weight, if that’s what you’re implying.” Being insulted was something she was not going to stand for. If he was going to complain about the way she looked after she let him fuck her, she was prepared to throw a full-on fit. After she snapped at him, he tensed up, sat back, and went wide eyed, clearly not realizing what he’d just said.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that, I…it’s just…my last girlfriend ate like a bird.” He finally spit it out. “She completely swore off carbs. Whenever she did eat around me it was only, like, kale salad.”

It was weird seeing him stammer like he was now. He was so cocky and dominant earlier, and now he was acting like he’d never spoken to another person before. Very odd. “It’s not healthy to live like that.” She told him. “I’ve taken enough nutrition classes to know.”

“That’s what I always told her.” He argued, leaning forward again and raising his fork in her direction. “What’s the point in even taking someone like that out to a nice place if all they’re gonna order are leaves?”

He was forgiven, for now.

“My last boyfriend was vegetarian, for religious reasons. And that was fine, it never bothered me, but as soon as we started having problems, he hated that I ate meat all of the sudden.” She picked up her bacon and took a bite. “Like I get it, it’s part of your culture, but meat is part of mine, so let me do what I want.”

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean it to come out like that.” He shook his head and grabbed the hot sauce. “There’s nothing wrong with you.”

That almost sounded like a compliment. If there was one thing he was lacking in, it was his ability to talk. He was so closed off and wouldn’t open up, and half the time he says things he doesn’t mean. Then again, maybe she was being too harsh. It was the first time they’d had a real conversation, of course it would be a little awkward. At least he apologizes when says something wrong. Either way she’d take it as a compliment, even if it barely counted as one.

The rest of breakfast went off without any further spats or awkward silences. The waitress finally dropped off the bill, and he quickly snatched it up and dug for his wallet.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” She tried to tell him, motioning to grab the receipt. She usually paid for herself when she went out with someone, it didn’t bother her. Aang never had much money, and he almost never paid for the two of them. Besides, its not like she was dating Zuko, and she didn’t want to make him feel obligated to.

“The bill’s like $20, I’m hardly doing you a favor.” Why he had to sound so aloof about it she didn’t know. She just shrugged it off and returned to her coffee; she wasn’t going to complain.

“Hm?” She thought she heard him mumble something, but she wasn’t fully paying attention.

“You can pay next time.” He said a little louder before finally pulling out the cash.

She gave him a little smile. It looked like this wasn't going to just be a one-time thing after all.


	5. Chapter 5

The next time she saw Zuko was in the middle of February. It was the day after she’d gotten her first rejection letter, from Caldera City University Medical College. She figured it was coming for a while now, she hadn’t gotten a good vibe from the interview panel. The questions they asked her were perfectly normal and basic, but they weren’t overly personal and there were long pauses in between questions where she just sat there stiffly starting at them as they rifled through her paperwork. Clearly, they weren’t that interested.

The interview happened months ago, but lately she was really hoping for an acceptance from them. The school was a dream; one of the most renowned in the world. It would have been a fun adventure to move from Ba Sing Se halfway across the world, again, and start up in a new city. She’d had this ridiculous notion in her head lately that since Zuko was from there, and since he had to go back, that, well… no. It wasn’t going to work out like that. It just wasn’t meant to be, and that was ok. She applied to a dozen other places: all good, some far, some closer. Things would work out in the end.

She’d considered cancelling on him, but their schedules so rarely aligned that she figured it was better not to. She’d given him a heads up the day of, simply saying that she got rejected and she needed to take her mind off of it. They hadn’t spoken much since their last meet-up, but they struck up a conversation at least once a week. Certainly not the everyday ‘good morning’ and ‘good night’ texts she’d done with Aang for nearly two years. But that was ok too. She liked their midnight conversations when she had a short break at work, or when he was up late working on his own stuff. He told her that he was doing the books for a nonprofit organization in the city while working for his uncle, and that involved a lot of boring reading that he liked to take breaks from. Sometimes he’d even send her stupid pictures of the lazily put-together documents they’d given him to work with; from the coffee stained papers to the entirely illegible receipts that even she couldn’t help him read. Sometimes she’d do the same, sending him photos of the empty hospital in the middle of the night and telling him it was haunted, or showing him the poorly drawn diagrams and dusty skeletons that her professor expected her to be able to understand for Comparative Anatomy. She wouldn’t really say they were ‘talking’ in the sense that there were no strings attached to their conversations, knowing that this was going nowhere. But he was less of an acquaintance now than before; not quite a friend, but not a stranger either.

Tonight, she showed up at the door with a paper bag in hand. He’d brought her something? Shit, she hadn’t even realized it was so close to Valentine’s Day. She never really celebrated it honestly, it was just another day to her, but the hospital had started putting up cheesy decorations for it. He set whatever it was down on the counter in her kitchen and removed the bag; it was a bottle.

“You brought…wine?” She asked, a little confused. The bottle didn’t look like a normal wine bottle; it was gold with an elaborately carved fire emblem on the front, and black wrapping around the tip of the bottle.

“It’s champagne.” He corrected her, removing the wrapping. “We’re celebrating.”

“Why?” Still confused, she got up off the couch and went for the wine glasses in the cupboard.

“Caldera sucks.” He told her plainly, popping the bottle at an angle over her sink. “Everyone there is a self-centered, rich asshole who only cares about their own image and their money.”

A bit on an ironic sentiment from someone holding a golden champagne bottle. That seemed to just be how Zuko was: he was aloof and turned his nose up at whatever didn’t fit his standard, but in the next minute he’ll despise anything extraneous. Either way, he always seemed to be dissatisfied with something. She handed him the glasses in her hand, and he individually picked them up by the stem and tilted as he poured.

“Let me be the first to congratulate you on not having to live in that hellhole for the next however many years of your life.” He didn’t bother hiding his bitterness as he handed her one of the glasses. He took the other in his own hand and they had a little toast, and she took a sip. She’d never had champagne before, but what he brought was really good. It was sweet and bubbly with a light fruity taste, and the aftertaste wasn’t as bitter as wine usually was.

“If you hate it that much, why go back?” She asked, propping herself against the counter.

“Family.” He said simply. “They’re all fucking crazy; sooner or later they’re going to rope me into something and make me go home.”

“I’m sorry.” This wasn’t turning into the romantic Valentine’s Day she thought it was going to be when he come through the door with a bottle. It seemed like he just wanted an excuse to get angry about something.

“I’m sorry too.” He softened his tone a bit. “I shouldn’t be bitching; you’re the one that should be upset.” He gave her an encouraging nod, egging her on the best he could to let it out.

“Well, it was far. And expensive.” She looked down at her glass, running her thumb along the stem.

“Trust me, you’re not missing out.” The malice crept back into his voice. “I spent five years there, it’s not as charming as people think it is.”

“What’s it like there?” She asked, taking another sip.

“Everyone that goes there is an heiress or a trust fund kid. Most of them are spoiled brats that are too stupid to actually get accepted, so their parents had to buy their way in just so they could go party with other rich, spoiled brats.”

“And that’s not you?” She prodded.

“I got in on my own merit, thank you.” And with that last bit of spite, he finished his drink.

“Ba Sing Se has that too.” She told him. “There’s a portion that buy their way in because it’s a good school. But they’re pretty easy to avoid, and not all of them are that bad. Toph, my roommate, she has money, but she’s really cool and she’s good at what she does.”

“What does she do?”

“She’s an artist. She does a lot of different things, but she’s into sculpting at the moment.”

“A blind artist?” He paused as he poured himself another half glass.

“It sounds crazy, I know, but you should see her work. It’s incredible.” She couldn’t help smiling as she remembered it. Toph liked to keep her work a secret until it was absolutely perfect and ready to show, so she never saw it until the university’s art show at the end of every year. “Since color doesn’t matter to her, she picks the paint that has a certain texture she likes and makes, like, raised paintings with it. I’m not really sure how she does it, but its very abstract and very cool. Her sculptures are so lifelike too, it’s amazing.”

“Sounds like she takes a lot of inspiration from the landscapes of Van Gogh, or Hans Hoffmann.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Not really sure who Hans Hoffmann is, but sure.”

“He was an abstract expressionist, but that’s not important.”

“You’re into art history?” That was a bit surprising to discover, definitely not what she expected out of an MBA. She took Intro to Art History her first semester, and she barely remembered any artist of note besides the ones everyone knows.

“Didn’t I just tell you I went to a school with a bunch of rich snobs?” That was the first time she’d ever seen him really smile. Not a little half smirk, but a big, open mouth smile. God, he had a nice smile. It was a shame it was short lived; he almost seemed self-conscious of it and tried to hide it as he continued talking. “No, um… my mom was an actress. She always took us to plays and art exhibits and stuff like that.”

That was the second time he’d brought up his mother around her, and no mention of anyone else in his family besides that they were crazy. It sounded like he took her loss pretty hard, and that he remembered her fondly. Yet that couldn’t be said for anyone else he knew; even when he brought up his uncle, who he’d been with at a hospital at one in the morning, it was largely negative or neutral reviews. She decided it was better to just change the subject rather than ask him about it any further; he’d been a lot more talkative now than last time, but she didn’t want him to shut down since it was a touchy subject.

“Wow this is really good.” She remarked and emptied her glass. She could feel her face starting to flush, so she set it down on the counter to slow herself down.

“If you like it, keep the bottle.” He told her. “Break it out again when you have something to actually celebrate.”

“What percent is it?” She asked, weakly reaching across the counter for the bottle between them. He grabbed it before she could, even though she was only making a halfhearted attempt to, and turned it over.

“Fifteen.” He told her before setting it back down.

“Fifteen?!” She didn’t know much about wine or champagne, but that was on the stronger side. No wonder she was starting to feel so giddy and warm. “You’re trying to get me drunk again.”

He gave her a side glance that she almost mistook for a glare, but it looked more like he was studying her.

“You got yourself drunk the first time.” He quietly corrected her.

“I don’t really remember.” She told him honestly, shaking her head.

“You’re not drunk already, are you?” He gave her another quizzical look.

“No.” It was true, but she still couldn’t help herself from smiling.

“Good.” He said slowly as he set down his glass on the counter. She was suddenly intensely aware that her kitchen was not large, and he was not standing very far away. He didn’t say anything else as he walked forward just a few steps and slipped his hands around her waist. She leaned away from the counter as he did so, and in a fluid motion she stood on the tips of her toes and reached her head up to meet his lips. She noticed that he tasted sweet like the champagne they’d been drinking as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Whatever cologne he wore smelled incredible too; she never thought that would be something she’d notice or enjoy so much.

She broke it first, removing her arms and grabbing one of his and tugging him out of the kitchen toward her room. She didn’t want to stay there very long, and she didn’t have to pull him that hard to get him out of there. Just like last time, as soon as the door was shut he took off her sweater, pulling it over her head and throwing it aside before kissing her again. She did the same, taking her hands away from gripping him to help pull his shirt over his head. They stood together near the door for a few minutes, her on her toes with her arms around his neck again, and him with his hands running down her back. He slid on hand up and quickly undid the clasp on the back of her bra, and let her go long enough to remove it before pulling even closer than before. 

This time he broke away, and he pulled her by the arm across the room and pushed her down onto the bed. It wasn't rough, just enough force to get her to move where he wanted her. She couldn't help but smile as she pushed herself all the way onto the bedspread, and as he climbed on top and kissed her again. She was still wearing pants, but she wrapped her legs around him nonetheless.

“Eager?” He was teasing, but he was always so intense, so it sounded more like he was snapping at her. He sat up and repositioning himself further down the bed between her legs. She watched as he unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down along with her underwear around her legs; she kicked them off as he did so. He leaned down and kissed her hipbone and playfully bit her leg before burying his face between her legs.

This was new too, well, not as new as last time. She’d never really gotten much out of it before, and if he’d given her the chance, she would have told him that. But no, of course he wouldn’t, he just did whatever he wanted and drug her along for the ride.

“Relax.” He commanded as he glared at her with gritted teeth, sensing her discomfort. Now that he mentioned it, she was tense. Was she nervous? Maybe a little; this wasn’t something she was expecting, and she wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to give him the result he wanted. She focused on loosening herself up instead of what he was doing, starting with her legs, then her arms, her shoulder, and finally her neck. She tried to just lay reclined and loose as best she could, and after a while it started to feel nice. He dug his hands into her hips to pull her closer as he snaked his tongue inside her, and that felt very nice. It was different than how this usually felt; she could feel warmth pooling in her stomach as she relaxed herself further. Every once in a while he would change what he was doing and look up at her. It seemed like he liked watching her; looking at her every reaction and movement. Her legs felt like they could barely stay up any longer, she gritted her teeth, and her fingers started to twitch just slightly as she grabbed the sheets. She could feel it welling inside herself like a floodgate, until he did something different again, and

She screamed. The metaphorical dam burst, hard. She saw stars and forced herself to shut her eyes to make it go away. She hadn’t realized how hard and shallow she’d been breathing, and the lack of oxygen combined with dehydration from drinking was giving her a slight headache and tinnitus. Her entire body felt like it was floating; she couldn’t feel anything touching her at all, not even the bed sheets beneath her. The only thing she could feel now was how cold she felt from being uncovered so long.

“Are you alright?” It sounded like he hadn’t moved, but she kept her eyes shut.

“God, I…” She sighed, putting her arm over her eyes to try and quell the pressure behind her forehead. It took all her energy just to make that one little movement. “Give me a minute.”

“I’m not a patient man, but I can do sixty seconds.”

“I’m serious.” She tried to sound stern, but it came out a lot weaker than she wanted it to.

“Fifty-five.”

She wanted to kick him, but settled for taunting him instead. “Now who’s eager?”

“You’d have to be an idiot not to be. Forty-eight.”

She was starting to gain control of her senses again, the pressure in her head diminishing as she slowed her breathing and took deeper breaths. She had never felt this catatonic before, even slightly moving her fingers felt like a herculean effort.

“You’re insufferable.”

“That’s not what you thought a minute ago. Thirty-nine.”

If she had function over her body, she’d smack him. “You’re the most arrogant person I’ve ever met in my entire life.”

“Oh?” He slowly ran a finger down her inner thigh. She was no longer catatonic; every hair on her body stood up. She was suddenly immensely hypersensitive, just that brief touch felt like she’d been thrown in an ice bath. She could still feel where he’d touched her even after he had stopped, the skin still tingling. “If you want me to stop, then say so. Twenty-five.”

Had that much time really passed? She pondered his offer for a few seconds. No, she did not want him to stop, but she would really appreciate more time to collect herself.

“I didn’t think so." He taunted. "Fifteen seconds left.”

“I’m serious.” She tried to plead with him again, this time with a little more strength.

“You already said that, and so am I.” He didn’t bother giving her a counter this time, running his hand up her thigh toward her knee. Just that little touch sent a shiver down her spine. Her nervous system was telling her to jump, or at least sit up, but the muscles just wouldn’t do it. She could hear the fabric on fabric shuffling as he moved the covers and removed the rest of his clothes. She felt his hands touch her again, this time to bring her knees further apart. She’d completely forgotten that was the position she was in; she’d had that entire argument with him spread-eagle on the bed. It was embarrassing to think about, even if they had slept together before.

He slowly crawled on top of her again; every inch of skin that he came in contact with radiated heat. He was so warm; she still felt chilled, but that was starting to go away now. The headache hadn’t completely dissipated, although the slight ringing in her ears was gone. Arguing with him had given her mind something to focus on, so her mental clarity had returned. He finally made his way up to her face, where he gently removed the arm around her eyes. She still kept them shut, feeling too exhausted to even do that. He put the arm down at her side but kept his hand at her shoulder.

He didn’t give her any time to adjust, going nearly all the way in all at once. She was finally able to move and open her eyes now; her entire body seized at the sudden sensation. She gasped and flinched, but he was prepared and held her still. He leaned his head down into her neck and growled, actually growled, in her ear, and the guttural noise combined with how close he was to her made that side of her face go numb.

There was absolutely no grace in the way he fucked her. He was a lot rougher than before, not caring that she was still so sensitive. It didn’t hurt, but he wasn’t going to slow down and wait for her to catch up. He was tired of waiting, he’d made that clear, and he was taking it out on her for making him do so in the first place. It took longer than normal, but the sheer force of what he was doing sent her spiraling into orgasm again, this time much less severe and for much less time. She felt like she needed to cry, not from pain or discomfort, but because it was all just too much. It was sensory overload. It was too hard, it was too fast, it was all just too much to handle.

Time was erased, and the next thing she knew, he was him lying in bed next to her, panting just as hard as she was.

“You’re freezing.” He commented, running his fingers along her shoulder. “Get under the blankets.”

She made a quick mental note to never drink around him again.

* * *

He finally managed to convince her to move once she'd calmed down enough. He pulled her so that her head rested on his shoulder, with one of her arms outstretched across his chest so she could lazily run her fingers along his collarbone. The arm that she was laying her head on reached down her back, and he thumbed the ridges along her spine. God, this felt good. He couldn’t remember the last time the sex had been this good. All of his self-control seemed to evaporate whenever he was around her.

His intention wasn’t to get her drunk; that accusation hurt a little. Even if they had planned this out ahead of time, that would have been wrong. He’d bought the bottle because, well, because he felt like he should do something nice for her. He didn’t want her to be gloomy about it and have it ruin the night. That, and just thinking about home again made him want to drink. Admittedly, he had a little before coming over this time. She was easier to talk to now because it wasn’t their first time speaking, but he wanted to make sure didn't say something stupid like he had last time. She was nice to talk to, and so much fun to tease.

He’d decided that he could tell her the ‘what’ but not the ‘who’ of his family and his life back home. Knowing where he was from and a little about his family wasn’t going to get him found out. He could tell her his mom was an actress who liked art without saying she was a Broadway actress and that dad bought her half of the MoMA as an engagement present. If there was one thing he couldn’t do it was lie, so telling half-truths was a much better alternative. Nothing he had told her was false, except when he said he wasn’t rich. Technically he wasn’t anymore, but he got his ass into college on his own; he didn’t need his dad to make a call. Because she had no idea, he could tell her more than he told most people. If he talked shit on his family to some girl from back home, it would’ve gone back to dad somehow and he would’ve gotten yelled at for it. The anonymity was a silent blessing.

“You need to stop working so much.”

“Why?” She sighed and buried her face a little closer to his chest.

He wanted to say it was because she clearly needed to cut loose more so that she wasn’t exhausted so easily. It was only a little after nine, she’d had one glass, and one round had worn her out completely. But that wasn’t what he said. “Because I like fucking you.”

“Are you gonna start paying me fifteen dollars an hour to fuck you?”

He stopped his blissful train of thought for a minute and turned his head over to her. “You only make fifteen dollars an hour?”

“Well I’m not a doctor yet.” She said nonchalantly, closing her eyes as she made herself comfortable on his shoulder. “Fifteen an hour is good pay for a starting position.”

It wasn’t. He knew that. She had to know that. He did the math in his head quickly: their bill at the restaurant she took him to, where she ate at regularly, was $22.78. Why he remembered that number so exactly he didn’t know, but she’d have to work two hours to have paid for that. The bottle he’d brought over was $299 and it was a staple among parties back home; she’d have to work twenty hours to have paid for that, a week’s pay for a bottle. And all of this was before taxes were taken out. She was more destitute than he’d thought. He thought he’d been living modestly since he moved to the city, but how could someone live on that little? Dad wouldn’t care if he threw around a few hundred dollars here or there on one of his credit cards, even after most of them were shut down. Neither of his jobs paid that much now, but his uncle fed him and gave him a place to live along with the job and the other was freelance, so he wasn’t expecting it to pay that much. But she made less than a hundred a day, for a good job in healthcare?

Now it was starting to make a bit of sense; she’d said earlier that the tuition was expensive. He never even saw his tuition bills, just whisked them away to be paid for without thought. But how much did a degree cost, or, at least, how much did it cost to someone like her? He had a beautiful apartment before he had to leave, but what did one look like that she could have afforded in Caldera? He knew that real estate was more expensive there than here, but what did that actually mean?

Now he was very happy he’d decided to do something nice for her. He was happy he’d paid for her food back then too. But that also meant he was going to have to start hiding it more. No more frivolous spending around her. She was smart; she would catch on. He was only one Google search away from being found out, and then it would be over. He didn’t want this to end, not yet.

Wait a minute. Why should he care? He shouldn’t. This wasn’t going to last, and it wasn’t going to go any further than this. Why did he even care about talking to her at all, or what she thought of him? Why did he care that she was working herself to death? This was ridiculous, he was being ridiculous. He needed to get out of here.

He tried to slide himself out from her grip, but she didn’t move, and he couldn’t budge. He looked over at her head on his shoulder; her eyes were closed. She must have fallen asleep. Shit, he couldn’t leave now or he was going to wake her up, and then have to explain to her why he was leaving. He could leave in the morning. Fuck, that was what he’d said last time too. How many more times was he going to keep making that mistake? He silently cursed himself before deciding it was best to suck it up and close his eyes along with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone cares, I based the champagne they're drinking on Armand de Brignac, which, according to a quick google search, is a staple of the fabulously wealthy. Depending on the vintage and size, it can go for over $10,000 per bottle; it's currently the most expensive champagne in the world. Obvs they're not all worth that much, and you can find cheaper ones for $300. I'm personally not much of a champagne person, but if $300 is considered cheap for one bottle it better taste like liquid gold. 
> 
> Hans Hoffman is also a real artist, and if you're into that stuff you should check out his works. According to Google he was really important in the development of modern American art after WWII. A lot of his stuff is very abstract; something a blind artist would be more akin to with her style since she can't see what she's doing (at least in my opinion, but I'm not an artist).
> 
> I'm probably gonna take a break from the smut to like, progress the plot, but it's been fun to write while it lasted. As an aside, as someone who's gotten rejection letters from grad programs and had to take comp anatomy in the same semester.... it would have been nicer if my love life wasn't in shambles at the time. Have a happy Zutara month, and stay safe!
> 
> -nein


	6. Chapter 6

“Hey Aang, could you pass the soy sauce?”

The semester had been busy for the whole group, but the five of them managed to find time here and there to get together. Katara had been slowly repairing her friendship with her ex for the past few months and they had smoothed things over. They didn’t talk like they used to, but she was so busy with other things now it was hard to notice. He seemed like he was back to his usual goofy self, competing with her bother to see how quick they could finish their noodles and how much chili flakes they could tolerate before crying. It was nice to have things back to normal, at least as normal as things will get after a breakup.

“Yea, sure.” He grabbed it and reached across the table to hand it over to her. That was one thing that she wasn’t expecting to feel weird: that they didn’t sit together anymore. They had the same seating arrangement for years: she was next to Aang, Sokka was next to Suki, and poor Toph was squashed next to her and Suki to try and avoid the ‘couplyness’ as she called it. Even though she couldn’t see, she had the remarkable ability to tell when someone’s arm was around someone else, or if her friends were sitting just a little too close together. But now it was her, Toph, Aang, Suki, Sokka. It felt slightly off, like wearing ill-fitting clothes or looking at clashing colors; just not quite right.

“Alright fuckers,” Toph announced as she dug through her bag. “You know what time of the year it is. Clear your schedules: April eleventh is the date of my exhibit. Be there or be square.” She pulled out four glossy, cardstock tickets and gave them to Katara to pass around. She took one and passed the rest to her left.

“What’s the theme this year?” Aang asked as he took one.

“I focused more on my sculpture work this time around.” She told him simply. “I pulled out all the stops this year; no fucking around.”

“Do you have a magnum opus?” Suki asked with a smile, taking a ticket for herself.

“I may.” Toph responded aristocratically. “You’ll have to wait and see, my good patron.”

“Can’t you give us any kind of hint?” Sokka groaned. “We’re dying here.”

“A magician never reveals his secrets,” Toph reminded him, “and I will never reveal my work until it’s time.”

“All I can tell you is she used me as a model again this year.” Katara told her friends. “But she wouldn’t even tell me what I was modeling for.”

“And I never will.” Toph told her, brushing a loose strand of short black hair behind her ear before picking up her chopsticks and returning to her dinner.

“You’re the worst.” Sokka complained. “Not even a hint? Not for your best friend?” He put on his best puppy-dog eyes, despite the fact that Toph couldn’t even see it.

“If you were my best friend, you’d buy me mochi.” She mumbled with her mouth full.

“Speaking of, I’m getting seconds.” Her brother announced, shuffling out of the table. How any human being could put down a bowl of ramen in five minutes and still want more was beyond her, but this was Sokka. “Anyone else want any?”

“I do; I’ll come with you.” Aang said and shuffled out the same. The two rounded the corner to head over to the register so that the three girls were alone.

“Hey, sugar queen.” Toph nudged her, reaching in her bag again. “I brought an extra one for your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” She frowned, not even bothering to take it out of her hand. “And that’s a terrible idea.”

“Yea, I know, that’s why I’m giving it to you.” She shook the hand with the invitation just a little to annunciate her point.

“No.” She said a little harder this time.

“Oh, come on.” Suki joined in. “All you ever do is talk about him, and we haven’t seen him since Halloween.”

Did she really? God, why was she like this? It was probably because there was nothing else exciting in her life to talk about. She obviously only told the girls what was going on as it happened. Toph was pretty cool about it whenever he came over, and she made herself conveniently absent that night and the next morning. She was working on her projects a lot more this semester anyway; that combined with her busy social life didn’t leave her much time to be at home anyway. At least that worked out nicely. Suki loved hearing about everything, and she wanted to know every little detail. She nearly died when she told her about how he tried to cheer her up after she got rejected. It was really sweet, looking back on it.

They’d seen each other on and off for the past month and a half. Whenever they both got a free night and she wasn’t exhausted from work or school, he’d come over. Spring break had been way more fun this year than most; she still had to work, but Toph was on vacation the whole time, and she managed to snag three nights off of in one week. It was nice. He was nice. He seemed like he knew what she wanted before she even knew it. He would take one look at her with those liquid gold eyes and skim through her thoughts and pluck it out.

“Look,” she sighed, pushing the thought out of her head, “I can’t believe I have to say this, but…I’m not bringing my fuck buddy to your art exhibit.”

“Well why not?!” Toph protested.

“First of all, it’s not that serious.” She insisted. “It would be weird.”

“Didn’t he take you out to breakfast, more than once?” Toph asked. “And he bought you that nice bottle of champagne?”

“Yea, so?”

“So I think it’s more serious than you think it is. Now take the damn invitation, woman!”

Was it? Toph had always been blunt with her, but that didn’t mean she was always correct. She’d never really done this with anyone else before; she thought he was just being nice. Was there something more to it that she wasn’t reading into?

“No.” She said firmly, answering both Toph and the lingering questions in her mind. “Second of all, I’m not bringing him around Aang.” She wanted to still be friends with him, she really did, but she had no idea where he would stand with something like this.

“Aang is a big boy.” Suki calmly assured her. “He can handle it.”

“What can I handle?”

If God existed, then at that moment he would allow her to die and ascend to heaven to avoid the conversation she was about to have. But seeing as that didn’t happen, then either God did not exist or she was already in hell. The two girls glanced at her, and she knew she was caught. They weren’t going to let her wriggle out of this.

“I’ve…been seeing someone.” She slowly admitted, looking down at the table. “It’s nothing serious.” She quickly assured, shooting a glance to Toph. “But Toph wanted me to invite him too, and I said no because I thought it would upset you.”

He looked a little puzzled at first, knitting his eyebrows as he set his bowl down on the table.

“No, that’s ok.” He told her, quickly returning to his chipper smile. “You should bring whoever it is. I don’t mind.”

“Are you sure, because I really don’t—”

“Katara it’s fine.” He insisted, still keeping the warm tone. “Really. I won’t get upset about it. Plus, Toph’s work is so good, the whole world should see it.”

“I could not agree more!” Her brother came back at the worst possible time and sat himself down. He scanned the table before he dug back into his bowl. “Why’s everybody look so weird,” he mumbled with his mouth already full, “did I miss something?”

“Katara has a fuck buddy.” Toph told him bluntly. It was terrible she couldn’t see the venomous glare she shot her.

“Aaaaaaand, I’m out of here.” He stood back up, quickly swallowing what was in his mouth and leaving his food on the table. “I don’t need to hear about this.”

“Sokka, sit back down.” Suki pulled his arm. “This is exactly why we didn’t tell you.” She watched the expression on her friend’s face fade as she realized what she’d said.

“We?!” Her brother’s face lit up with surprise but did as his girlfriend asked. “What’s this ‘we’ business? You knew before today?”

“Yes, we did. Me and Toph.” Thank God she at least threw Toph under the bus with herself.

“Well thanks for not letting me know!” He exclaimed at both of them. “I would have preferred if you’d kept it that way.”

“Sokka, calm down!” Suki pulled his attention back over to her and the two started going on.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Katara hissed to Toph.

“Cat’s already out of the bag, sweetness.” She dismissively waved her hand. “He asked, I answered. He was going to find out eventually.”

“You couldn’t have been a little more tactful? You just have to start trouble, for no reason.”

“It’s not for ‘no reason.’” She mocked her tone. “It’s because I’m tired of lying to my friends about it!”

“It’s always about you, isn’t it? You never stop and think about what other people might think if you opened your mouth?”

At this point, everyone seemed to be arguing. Suki was trying to calmly explain the situation to Sokka, with Aang interjecting here or there. She was arguing with her roommate. She knew this would happen if she told everyone; things were getting out of hand.

“That’s enough!” She finally shouted at the table. Everyone turned over to look at her, breaking away from their own petty arguments. “Since you all like talking about me so much, then be my guest; I’m going home.” She got up from the table and slid her way out.

“Katara, come on.” Suki pleaded with her, making a motion across the table for her arm.

“Go on, I don’t care. It’s easy; just pretend like I’m not sitting right in front of you. Oh wait.” She stormed out of the place, not even bothering to pay. Let Toph pick it up; she has more money than she does, and she started this whole thing. Fuck it, let Suki pay; she didn’t do anything to help her. They just pushed and pushed until it all slipped out in the worse possible way. Letting those two handle the men and the bill was their fallout for opening this can of worms.

She got halfway down the block before she heard a familiar, squeaky “Katara!” It was Aang, running up the sidewalk. She groaned and turned around to him.

“What?” She asked when he caught up.

“Hey, everyone’s sorry about what happened back there. Please come back in.” Of course they sent him out to calm down the raging bitch Katara that got up from dinner and stormed out.

“Aang, I’m tired.” She huffed. “I’m going home.”

“Can we please just talk about this? I’d rather hear what’s going on from you than them.”

Despite her anger and her immense desire to go home, he made a fair point. She supposed she owed him that. She leaned up against the side of the building and allowed him to talk.

“What’s his name?” He asked, leaning next to her.

“Zuko Li.” Knowing that wouldn’t get him anywhere. She’d already tried looking him up; he had no online presence to speak of. No social media, nothing. There were a million people from Caldera with the surname Li, it was impossible to find the one she was looking for. She already knew how private he liked to keep himself, so it wasn’t entirely surprising.

“When did it start?”

“January.”

Technically that was a lie but telling him they met the week they’d broken up would have made things worse. He would have thought she was rebounding or trying to get back at him, and she wasn’t. Besides, they didn’t even know who each other were until January anyway, and that’s when it really started.

“I’m happy for you, really.” He assured her, slipping his hands in the pockets of his jacket. “I think it’s healthy that you’re moving on. This just…”

“Just what?” She pressed after he trailed off.

“It just doesn’t seem like you.”

“What would you know?” She snapped back. Great, he did think she was going crazy.

“Katara I know you. We dated for two years, remember? Is something going on?”

“Nothing’s going on!”

“Ok, I’m sorry.” He put up his hands and quieted his tone. “Its just… when we were together, we didn’t start sleeping together for over a year and—”

“And what? That means I can’t do what I want now that we’re done? You were seventeen when we started dating, Aang.”

“I know, and you’re right, you can do whatever makes you happy now, and that’s fine.” He started becoming more serious now. “I just want to make sure that you know what you’re doing.”

“Know what I’m doing?!” What the hell was that supposed to mean?

“Yea.” His tone stayed critical. “You were always super careful with me with this stuff, and now you’re, like, sleeping around?”

She felt like she was going to explode into a giant mushroom cloud in the middle of the sidewalk. She couldn’t even formulate the words to yell at him properly, and just blinked at him instead. “You’re unbelievable,” was all she managed to mumble before turning around and walking away. She ignored him this time when he called out and tried to get her attention, too angry to deign his existence any longer. She silently fumed back to her apartment and locked the door before storming into her room. She threw her phone on the charger and sat in bed to mull it over.

God, what a fucking mess this had become. She thought things were going to be simpler like this; there were no strings attached, it was just happening until one of them had to leave the city. That was it! That was all it was supposed to be! It wasn’t supposed to put a new rift between her and her friends, or her and Aang, although now he sort of deserved it after what he said…

Fuck it. She swiped her phone from the nightstand and brought up her conversation with Zuko.

_> K: You’re going with me to my roommate’s art show in April 11 at 7 pm. My ex pissed me off and you’re coming so he’ll shut up and leave me alone while I’m there_

It took her a full five minutes to realize the gravity of what she just said. Although it was under the guise of being petty, which it absolutely was, she just asked him out again. It didn’t go very well the first time she’d done that. What she’d said was really assertive and forward, and he was obstinate and disagreeable. This was not going to end well.

She threw her phone on the nightstand again and covered her face with her pillow. She just wanted to hide away from the entire world and go into a coma, but rolling herself up in her comforter would have to be the next best substitute. Time passed slowly as she thought about everything. How she exploded at her friends, how Aang practically called her a whore, and to top it all off she’d probably ruined things with Zuko too. After a while, she heard the familiar click of the lock on the front door opening and her roommate walking in.

“You here sugar queen?” Toph shouted from the living room.

“Yea.” She shouted back, removing the pillow from her face long enough to tell her where she was. She heard her roommate walk over to her room and felt a light thud and a crinkle as something soft hit the bed.

“I bought you dorayaki.” Toph said, still on the other side of the room. She and Toph had a neat little agreement when they started arguing: to cut to the point and apologize, fast. Early on in their roommate relationship they realized that they were both bull-headed and petty, and it quickly got out of hand. Minor spats would turn into major arguments; one little fight over the dishes not being done would turn into three weeks of the dishes not being done. It was hard to live with someone like that, especially since both of them had a lot going on. So they both put on their big girl panties and sucked it up whenever they fought; it was better for both of them in the long run. This time, Toph was the first one to raise the white flag and send a traditional peace offering.

“Thanks.” She mumbled, sitting up and removing the covers. She felt around on her bedspread for the little plastic package with the pancake inside and grabbed it. 

“Sorry I pushed.” Toph said, leaning against the door.

“Sorry I yelled.” She told her, removing the plastic wrapping around her treat.

“We good?”

She took a bite out of the pancake. The taste of sweet red bean paste filled her mouth, and contempt she had for Toph was erased. “Yea, we’re good.”

“You don’t have to invite him if you don’t want to.” Toph assured her. “I just got excited.”

“Too late; I already did.”

“Really?”

“Yea, but he didn’t respond to me. I don’t think he’s gonna come.” She took another bite of the sweet pancake. “How mad is Aang?”

“Twinkle-toes is mildly upset, which means he’s starting to consider hurting a fly.” She scoffed. “Sokka’s still being weird, but he’s always weird. Suki’ll probably hit you up later to talk it over, she feels pretty bad. But dude, you’ve been fucking this guy for months and you’ve been, like, outside with him before. Why is this different?”

“We’ve never been on an official date, though. Buying someone breakfast after you had sex is one thing, but you know how it is there. It’s formal; it’s nice. And he’s never met any of you guys. We sort of agreed to keep it casual from—"

Her phone lit up and interrupted her. She reached across the bed and grabbed it from her nightstand.

_> Z: Ok_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I know if you're western you probably don't know what dorayaki is, but trust me when I say it's good. Red bean paste probably sounds nasty and like something you'd put in a taco, but it's sweetened and sugary (sort of like a jam) and put between two sweet pancake-like cakes. It's one of my favorite Japanese sweets that doesn't involve chocolate, and I've really been craving it lately and it bled into my story. Anywho, I've been planning out the next chapter since forever and it's going to be long and a lot of fun.
> 
> -nein


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. Sorry this chapter took forever, but I have a good excuse I promise! I'm writing a thesis along with this and an early draft of it was due a few days ago, so I had to take a break from writing this to crank out a cheeky fifteen or so pages and reformatting. That's gonna start happening more and more until I defend in a month in a half. Second, this chapter is mad long. This is the longest single update I've ever done and probably will ever do. I thought about splitting it up into two chapters (and there's a logical middle point where I could have done that) but I sort of ended up writing it backwards, so it would have been counterintuative. Either way, it's here now, and I'm pretty proud with the result (and I hope you all are too).
> 
> That being said, I just wanna take another sec to thank all of you for leaving kudos and comments. It really does brighten my morning when I check my email and see those notifications and how you're analyzing my writing. When I posted the first chapter I didn't expect anyone to read it and thought I'd just keep it a one-shot, but I got so much support from you guys like immediately. Ya'll are the best.
> 
> TW for gore in this one, and minor mentions of rape and racism. It's a little more heavy handed than what I've been writing, but this is an M rated fic after all. Anyway, without further ado, a Zutara date that goes wrong.

“So who am I supposed to be scaring off?”

He looked nice all cleaned up; he pulled off the dress shirt and slacks look well, the black clean-pressed sleeves rolled up to his elbow to highlight the golden Tag Heuer watch, apparently a graduation gift. The bar was high for dress code; this was an exclusive event, restricted to invitation only, and was meant to showcase some of the finest art students in the world. Prospective buyers and patrons flew in for this, and a lot of the students got deals on the spot. Nevertheless, she didn’t bother with designer; she didn’t own a stich of it. The nicest thing she owned was a white gold necklace with a circular sapphire bezel, her mother’s, and the only thing she had to go with it was a jean jacket. She wore the same outfit every year, and the same one to all of her interviews: a simple white blouse tucked into a black skirt and three-inch black heels. The heels were well-weathered at this point; they were the only dress shoes she had owned for the past six or seven years. Nothing fancy, but nice enough to get her though the door without being judged.

“Ok, don’t be obvious, but he’s behind us. In the orange jacket.”

Aang didn’t own designer either, but with him being one of the only members of the Air Nation left, no one gave him any crap for it. The little blue arrow tattoos on his hands were his ticket alone; he needn’t say anything more than his nationality to earn respect and praise for what his people went through, though he was so humble he rarely did. She could see Zuko silently look through his peripheral vision, barely tilting his head to the side.

“The bald kid?” He sounded incredulous but kept his voice low so they wouldn’t be heard.

“Yes.”

She saw him tilt his head and eye him again. “He looks like he should still be in high school.” He mocked, still sounding just as stunned as before.

“He is two years younger than me.” Zuko was two years older than her, so Aang probably looked quite a bit younger to him.

“Hey, come here.” He quietly drummed his fingers against hers. “This’ll piss him off.”

She obliged, lacing her fingers through his and taking his hand.

“Do you do everything out of spite?” She turned her head and asked.

He turned over to her and raised his eyebrows. “Do you?”

She could feel herself blushing a little at his comment, and they shared a little smile before she turned her attention back to the painting they stood in front of.

“He doesn’t get pissed off at anything.” She explained but kept holding his hand anyway. “It’s kind of annoying; even when you’re fighting with him, the most he’ll get is mildly annoyed.”

“You’re lucky. My ex was the opposite; she had no passion at all besides hating everything. Our fights were always really personal and petty.”

“She sounds fun.” She remarked as they moved to the next piece, which was a rather abstract menagerie of different shades of neon splashed together. “Ok. What would she say about something like this?”

He squinted and looked it over for a minute before giving his verdict. “Ugh, Zuko,” he mocked in a nasally, drawn-out falsetto, “there’s so much color it’s making me nauseous.”

She couldn’t help but snicker at his cheesy impression, and he couldn’t stop himself from cracking a smile. 

“Yea,” He admitted, “she wasn’t very fun.”

“Hey!” They were interrupted by a familiar call. She turned around and saw her brother sauntering over with Suki on his arm.

“Hey.” She smiled and gave them a little wave with her free hand. “I love your dress.”

“Thanks!” Her friend tilted her head and flashed a sweet smile. They looked nice together; Sokka in a slightly wrinkled and untucked blue dress shirt, the only one he owned, and Suki in an emerald maxi dress she bought for the occasion. Thankfully they had smoothed over their issues since the fight. She hadn’t really been that angry with either of them, just angry with the way that things ended up playing out. Things between her and Aang were awkward enough, she didn’t want things between her brother and her best friend to be awkward too. Besides, Sokka wasn’t hurt that deeply, he was just being her annoying older brother, and Suki was only trying to help.

“Sorry,” She looked back over at Zuko, “Zuko, this is my brother, Sokka, and his girlfriend Suki.”

“It’s nice to see you again.” Suki told him, and Sokka gave him a strong, Water Tribe handshake.

“Sorry, have we met before?” Zuko turned to Suki, a little confused by her comment.

“Oh, I was with Katara the night you met, but you and I didn’t really speak. You were…”

“Ah.” He finished her sentence as she trailed off. ‘Preoccupied’ would have fit nicely where she left it, but since Sokka was around it was best not to imply.

“Have you seen Toph yet?” Her brother finally broke the awkwardness.

“No, we just got here.” Arriving late had been intentional; she would have loved to be with her friends, but avoiding any awkwardness brought on by bringing Zuko here was paramount. It was bad enough that Aang was avoiding them; that was still a problem she was trying to figure out how to deal with, but it wasn’t something she wanted to stir up right now. Truthfully, she had half hoped to get here so late that he wouldn’t even be around, but it looked like they both settled for keeping their distance. Maybe a little space was a good thing; it didn’t have to mean they hated each other.

“I’m not gonna spoil the surprise,” Sokka continued, “but she really wasn’t lying when she said she was going all out. It looks like a Renaissance exhibit in there.”

“We were just about to go check it out.” She told her brother. “Are you guys heading out?”

“Yea, we’ve seen all there is to see, and I need dinner. We’ll catch you later, though.”

“Oh, hey,” Suki smirked, catching Sokka’s arm to prevent him from leaving for just another moment. “I almost forgot to tell you. Nice modeling this year.”

“Don’t say it like that; now I’m scared.”

“It’s nothing bad.” She assured her, waving a hand. “But you’ll get a kick out of it.”

“It better not be. If it’s that bad I can flip her off and she won’t even know.” The two girls giggled together, and she waved goodbye as her brother and friend left. It was nearing the end of the show, so they didn’t waste much time getting to the back where the juniors were stationed to see Toph’s work.

“I see they saved the best for last.” She called out to Toph once they reached the corner devoted to her. Toph also cleaned herself up more than she usually did, slipping on an oversized silk blouse, trousers, and flats. She would rather be caught dead than wear a skirt or heels, so this was the most feminine she was willing to go. Combined with her self-cut short black hair and bangs, it made her look like the eclectic but influential artist she was becoming.

“Evening, sweetness.” Toph tucked her hands in her pockets and gave a little bow as they approached. “I hear two sets of footsteps, is the boyfriend with us this evening?”

“He’s…” She shook her head and stopped herself before correcting her; she was just doing it to get a rise out of her anyway.

“Nice to meet you.” Zuko smoothed over the awkwardness, choosing to ignore her as well. She gave him a fair warning that Toph could be crass, and it seemed like he understood the situation.

“Allow me to give you the personal, grand tour.” Her roommate gallantly lead the way through her section of the gallery. “I’ll start with the paintings, since you’re new to my works.” She gestured vaguely to the clean white wall in front of her where the paintings in question were hung. It looked like this year’s color was clay brown, with four earth-toned paintings positioned next to one another. 

“First, as you’ll notice, they’re all monocolor.” Toph stopped herself just short of the wall and began her explanation. “This is a subtle note to the fact that I am blind and cannot see. Instead, I employ painterly technique and create contour and texture in my paintings to make them unique instead of vibrant color. I like my patrons to experience my art the way I see it. If your grimy hands are clean, please feel free to feel it up.”

Zuko reached out first, tracing the contours on the otherwise rust-colored canvas with his fingers. There was no clear image of what they were supposed to be viewing, just raised lines on the canvas intermingled with one another. He paused after tracing one of the curves near the center before balling his hand an withdrawing it.

“Is this supposed to be the Venus of Willendorf?” He turned toward her roommate and asked.

“Right you are.” Toph sounded impressed. “This boy knows his stuff. What better inspiration than the original, am I right? And, I mean, who wouldn’t want a good feel of her?”

Zuko looked bewildered, raising his eyebrows and widening his eyes as he looked over toward her for clarification, to which she mouthed silently “She’s bi.” He gave a nod in understanding, and they continued though the gallery.

“Now, my real work this year has been sculpting.” She ushered them toward the pieces in question. “Sculpture work is more rewarding for me at least; being three dimensional and more physical for me to see and work on. However, I can never get the faces without a lovely model.” Toph nodded toward her. “The body positioning I can get using wooden mannequins, but to get the faces right, that’s where this one usually comes in. I’ll tell her to make a face, or sometimes I take inspiration from daily life, then I feel how the musculature reacts and how her facial features form. For example,” she paused in front of a stone sculpture of a man lying dramatically on the ground, seemingly in agony or terror. One hand was raised in the air, lightly touching a feather with the tip of his finger that had fallen toward the ground. “This is my take on the Fall of Icarus. I got his face when Katara stubbed her toe on the couch.”

She remembered that experience vividly; she thought she’d broken a toe it hurt so bad. As soon as she started cursing about it, Toph came running out of the kitchen and stuck her hands all over her face to capture the expression properly. She wouldn’t even let her sit down, demanding that she maintain the pose and putting weight on her hurt foot so she could get it just right. Zuko thought this was hilarious, turning his head away and covering his mouth with his hand to stifle a chuckle and to not be rude.

“Hey, that’s not funny!” She tried to quiet his snickering at her misfortune, but couldn’t keep herself from smiling anyway. “That really hurt.”

“Well, sweetness,” Toph continued with a snark, “poor Icarus here is in a world of hurt too; he just fell out of the sky and died. It would have been a waste of my artistic talent if I hadn’t gotten a good face for him then.”

“Please tell me you got my face then built him around it? You weren’t planning on beating me up to get a good face of someone in pain if you couldn’t get one naturally, right?”

“Of course not.” Toph dismissively waved her hand. “When have I ever intentionally caused you pain?”

“Every single day of my life.” She grumbled, but not without a hint of sarcasm. 

“Your attention to detail is incredible.” Zuko finally got over himself enough to comment. “Not just with the faces: you can see every vein and tendon on the arm and the hand, every muscle on the chest and how they move as he twists his body. It really does rival Michelangelo or Bernini.”

“You keep laying on the praise and I’m gonna have to steal him from you.” Toph smiled at her. 

“I notice most of your stuff is classical inspired and focuses on realism.” He continued. “Is there a reason for that?”

“The short answer is I’m a perfectionist. But, when you’re blind, it’s harder to visualize the abstract stuff in your head. Taking inspiration from classics also makes visualizing it a bit easier; that way, I have an idea to base it around and I don’t have to come up with something on my own.”

“That’s definitely doesn’t mean what you’re doing isn’t creative, or original.” She commented, scanning the rest of the sculptures she had on display.

“Where are you headed next, any ideas?” Zuko asked as Toph walked them over to the next stone sculpture, this one a woman wearing a dress that was tight to her skin to show the outline of her figure underneath.

“I think I want to get more into metalworking. I’ve only had the time to do a few little pieces in small-scale, but I think metal sculptures can get that more modern feel that a lot of my work is missing. It’ll be fun to experiment with.”

She toured them around the rest of the sculptures, a total of ten in the gallery itself. Most were life sized in stone, but two were busts and one was a gothic gargoyle that she was rather proud of. They didn’t have much time left to enjoy them and followed Sokka and Suki’s suggestion of grabbing a bite afterward. Since they were so close to the university there were plenty of great places to go, so she took him to the bar her and her friends always went to, and they just talked. The bars were starting to get full since it was close to the college and a weekend night, so they got a quiet seat in the corner away from the noise. He was nice to talk to; they’d been talking a little more as of late, but not much in person. He let her be vent about stuff going on at work or school instead of waving it off. He got excited and congratulated her when she told him she got another acceptance letter. It felt like barely any time had passed at all, the conversation barely lulling since it had began, until the waitress dropped off the bill at the end of the table.

“Here.” Zuko handed her his card as soon as she put the bill down.

“Oh, sorry,” the waitress told him, “you have to pay at the front.”

They gave the waitress a curt nod, and she left them alone.

“Hey,” He turned back to her, “this was nice.”

“Yea, it was.” She picked up the last fry from her basket and bit it in half.

“We should do this again, sometime.” He said it slowly, like he was trying to test the water to see how she would react.

“Yea, we should.” They shared a brief smile before he pulled his attention away toward the receipt the waitress left at the edge of the table.

“I’ll be right back.” He grabbed it and waved it in his fingers before walking off to go pay. She sat back and smiled to herself, watching him leave. This was really fun; way more fun than she would have expected out of him. She never thought she’d be able to get him out of the house, and she never though he’d actually agree to something like this. It was nice to be around him in a context that didn’t involve sex, although now that she thought about it, she wondered what time Toph was going to get back home. She pulled out her phone, flicking through things absentmindedly and shooting her roommate a quick message.

“Hey.”

She looked up from her phone toward the unfamiliar voice and saw a guy she didn’t recognize sitting down where Zuko had been not long ago. She always had preferred darker features; Zuko was pale with lighter eyes, but the man in front of her now had chestnut skin and deep brown eyes that were nearly black. His features were more slender than broad, again, unlike Zuko, and a smirk played across his wide mouth where he flicked a toothpick back and forth with his tongue. Zuko was handsome, sure, but the man sitting in front of her now was more her type. Still, she didn’t know who he was or what he wanted with her; he didn’t seem familiar.

“Hello.” She responded back meekly, not sure of what else to say to the stranger.

“I haven’t seen you around here before.” He told her, still playing up the wide smile.

“I’m sorry, I’m with someone tonight.” She told him sheepishly and looked back down at her phone.

“That’s weird.” He feigned innocence, looking around the bar. “I don’t see anyone here with you.”

“He’s, uh…” Where did he run off to? Her eyes flicked around the bar, but there was no sight of him.

“Well I’m a lot more interesting than that phone, don’t you think?” He pulled her attention back to himself. His charm was wearing off very quickly, but there was nothing she could do besides sit here and wait and try and make him leave.

“I’m not interested.” She said plainly, but that only made him worse.

“Oh, come on baby, don’t be like that.” He cooed and leaned forward on the table. “I just want a little conversation, is that too much to ask?”

She cringed slightly as he got closer to her. “Yes.”

“Feisty. I like that.” His smile widened again, and he leaned even closer. How obvious could she be? She could feel her heart rate starting to climb, her mind scrambling to try and think of a way to escape from him. His attention quickly pulled away from her to something behind her.

“Zuko! Good to see you buddy.” He welcomed him with open arms. Thank God, finally, a way out.

“Fuck off, Jet.” He snapped back as he stood next to her. Jet? How could she have been so stupid and forgotten his face? She should have known who he was immediately, he lived up to his reputation. Suki and the girls did a little digging into him, and it turned out that Zuko was right: Jet loved to stir up trouble. He dropped out of Omashu last year after five years and three changes to his major. He had a minor criminal record: possession, public drunkenness, criminal mischief. The possession charge was certainly true; everyone knew he sold weed to get by and to get himself invited to college parties. All in all, he sounded like a loser. Most telling was a rape allegation from a girl at his university; the trail never came to fruition and he was cleared of charges after the poor girl transferred. Zuko had no idea about it, but it didn’t surprise him when she brought it up. Either way, she wanted to get the hell away from him. That unnerving smile and the way he looked at her was making her skin crawl. She couldn’t believe she ever thought he was attractive to begin with, even for half a second.

“You pig.” She sneered as she got up out of her seat to stand next to Zuko. Jet ignored her and kept his conversation with Zuko.

“I see you’ve been busy, man. Been doing good from the looks of it.” His eyes wandered back to her, looking up and down and settling below her face. “I mean, you know what they say about Water Tribe chicks.”

She didn’t know what he meant by that last comment, but Zuko did. He stepped in front of her to block her from Jet’s view and snapped at him again. “If you want that toothpick jammed down your throat then keep talking.”

“Hey man, relax, no worries.” Jet lounged back, completely unphased by the threat. “I just wanted to see if you were willing to share. I mean, I did set you up, I think I deserve a little reward.”

“Share?!” She spat as she stepped out in front again, her anger swelling as she marched toward him. “You vile little—”

She was cut short by Zuko putting his arm her stomach and physically pulling her back. He was a lot stronger than she was, so she let herself be subdued instead of fighting it. He kept her held close once she relaxed, wrapping his other arm around her and pressing her back against his chest. Jet thought the scene was hilarious; he threw his head back and laughed, slapping his hand on the table. She could feel her face flushing, both in anger and embarrassment as he laughed at her.

“What are you gonna do?” Jet taunted her with the same wide smile as before.

“We’re leaving.” Zuko announced to him. The tone of his voice was even more severe it usually was, but it didn’t look like Jet was concerned. Instead of waiting around for a response, he let go of his vice grip around her waist and wrenched her arm instead, leading her toward the door. It was so sudden and rough she nearly tripped over herself as he pulled her away and out onto the street. She thought she’d seen him upset before, but this was a whole different level; he wouldn’t even look at her, keeping his scowl focused on the empty street he was dragging her down. The bar was busy inside but it looked like it had just finished raining as they left, which must be keeping everyone indoors for a moment. The street and sidewalks were damp, reflecting the orange glow of the streetlights as he pulled her away.

“Hey!” She heard Jet’s raspy voice shout from behind them. “I wasn’t fucking finished talking to you!”

His grip tightened around her arm and he pulled her a little faster. She was having trouble keeping up as it was, and she was sure if he tightened his hand on her arm even more it would bruise. She felt very small, just wanting to tuck herself away from the world. Jet was right, what could she do? She could yell and scream at him all she wanted, but that was only going to egg him on. All she could do was run away and hope he didn’t follow her.

“Fucking bitch.” She heard Jet mutter, a little quieter than last time, his darkened tone making her cringe. She still wasn’t far away enough from him, not even a block. She kept telling herself to just ignore it. Ignore it and it will all go away; it will all be over soon.

“That’s ok,” He called out again, his voice picking up a hint of mischief. “I don’t mind seeing you go.”

That was the final straw, but not for her. With one fluid motion, the pressure on her arm was released and Zuko turned on his heel. She hadn’t even realized what he’d done at first, continuing her stride in the direction they were going until she noticed that she wasn’t following him anymore and that he had vanished from her vision. She heard a brief cry and some shuffling, and by the time she’d turned around and realized what was going on, Jet had blood streaming from his nose as was being pinned against the wall of the alleyway adjacent to the restaurant by his shirt collar.

She didn’t know what to do. What could she do? She stood frozen in place, not even half a block away, and watched the carnage unfold. Zuko had his back to her so she couldn’t quite see everything, but they were having some heated conversation in hushed voices while Jet spat blood.

“Fuck you, man!” Was all she heard of their conversation as Jet shouted at him again. The conversation went quiet again until Jet made another comment that set him off. Zuko took another swing, but Jet was prepared, ducking in time for it to miss his face.

“Fuck!” Zuko shouted as his fist connected with the brick instead of its intended target, but he didn’t let Jet go. He caught him again, and Jet gave another grunt as it connected with his face.

“That’s enough.” She mumbled, too far away and too quiet for either of them to overhear, finally realizing that she should stop what was going on. She slowly walked over, Zuko still keeping Jet pinned against the bricks. Jet looked like hell; there was blood everywhere, spilling from his crooked nose onto his shirt, staining his lips, teeth, and face crimson. He didn’t look so cocky now, with the broken nose and the swollen eye that was sure to bruise. The toothpick was gone; maybe it really did get jammed down his throat like Zuko had promised, although more likely it was somewhere on the ground, covered in blood. Jet tilted his head just slightly to look over at her as she approached, and Zuko shook him up again to distract his attention.

“Your hand.” She said mutely, finally noticing it. Zuko was bleeding too, although his right hand looked a lot better than Jet’s face. At the mention of it, he turned the deadly glare he reserved for Jet toward her. It was the first time since this whole ordeal started that he looked at her, and she really wished he hadn’t. He looked like he was ready to kill, his bright yellow eyes making him look like some kind of demon underneath the orange glow outside the bar. Every muscle in his face was tightly drawn, intense, utterly focused on hatred and anger alone. She could see the vein in his neck straining, every sinew taut.

“That’s enough.” She repeated, this time with a little more force, looking back at his hand instead of his face. He finally let Jet go, throwing him down to the ground like a lead weight. Jet made no protest, silently licking his wounds in the alleyway and trying to regain enough pride to dust himself off and head home. Zuko refrained from grabbing her this time, probably because he cringed when he tried to flex his fingers, and they silently walked away from the scene together.

* * *

“Fuck!”

He was trying to curse as softly as possible, seeing that his uncle was likely sleeping upstairs, but bandaging his hand was not a very pleasant affair. It was a shame she actually knew what she was doing and didn’t just wrap it and give him pain killers; as soon as she got him back he grabbed the kit of supplies that the shop had and handed it over. Her place didn’t have a lot of medical supplies, but he knew that they always kept this kit stashed here in case of emergencies. Its not like he or his uncle knew what they were doing, but if you ran a business it was mandatory to have. The alcohol to clean the wound he stole from their apartment upstairs; that had really fucking hurt. And now she was going bone by bone, squeezing them slightly to see if there were any fractures. 

“If you hadn’t missed, then I wouldn’t need to be doing this right now.” She scolded after she pressed on one of his knuckles. It was taking a lot of effort not to recoil as she pressed her slender fingers against them, each one more tender than the last.

“I don’t think anything’s broken.” She told him finally. “But punching a brick wall, or a face, isn’t good for your hand, so I’m still gonna wrap it.”

She let him go for a minute to rifle through the kit to find the wrapping. She carefully unwound it and motioned for his hand again, and he gave it back to her begrudgingly. She stayed intent on her work, keeping her eyes down to the table as she carefully wrapped his hand in the old linen in the kit. She reached over to the kit again once the binding was secured, looking for something to fasten it with. He noticed the hand rifling through the kit had began to shake just slightly, and the fingers around his hand had lost some of their grip. She finally found what she was looking for, plucking a little clip out of the kit and fastening it to the linen on his hand.

“Are you ok?” He tentatively asked, noticing again how unsteady she was as she finished. She didn’t respond, still absorbed in her work. He reached out with his good hand toward her face across the table and to his surprise she tilted her head away from him, avoiding his touch. It must have been reflexive to her; immediately after she did so, she stopped her work and closed her eyes.

“I don’t like seeing you like that.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she kept her face turned away him from him.

She might as well have pulled a knife from the kitchen, stuck it into the freezer, let it sit for about an hour, then stabbed it into his stomach and twisted. That feeling would have been preferable to the deep-seated nausea he felt now. He felt like his entire body was made of lead, his arms and shoulders ceasing their ability to hold themselves in place any longer. He sat back in the seat to give her space; she was done with his hand anyway. 

The entire walk home until now he though she was upset with Jet, but she was upset with him, too. The disappointment was written all over her face as her eyes glassed over and stared down at the linoleum flooring, her thumb tracing her lower lip with worry. He could hear the dim hum of the lights overhead and the ticking of a clock in the kitchen for the first time, sounds he usually drowned out when there were better things to focus on. Now, they were driving him insane as his mind focused on only them and his own faults. He felt like time ceased to exist; he spent an eternity staring at her, and she spent an eternity staring down at the floor, the clock ticking in the background the only thing reminding him that time was still progressing.

“I don’t want you going home alone.” His voice, although he hadn’t intended it, sounded far too loud as it broke the silence, causing her to glance back over to him. “You’re staying here tonight.”

“I don’t—”

“I’ll sleep on the couch.” He assured her before she could protest any further. Even those few words sounded strained in her throat, like she was trying not to cry. “You can take the bed.”

He let her mull it over for a bit as he tried to find the energy to get up out of his seat. The pain in his hand was a dull ache compared to how dry his mouth felt and the twisting knot in his gut. He couldn’t even blame Jet for all of this mess; it was his doing. It was his fault that she hated him and couldn’t stand the sight of him anymore. After another eternity, she gave him a little nod in agreement.

Finally finding the energy, he managed to get up and so did she. He silently walked her through the back and up the old wooden stairs that lead into the apartment. Neither said a word as he unlocked the door and ushered her in as quietly as possible. His assumption had been correct; his uncle was still out cold. He could hear his snoring growing louder the further he walked her inward to the adjacent bedroom, and shut the door behind her as she came in.

“Sorry about he mess.” He realized that old junk room wasn’t fit for company all too late.

“It’s fine.” She whispered in return, keeping her eyes keenly fixed on the bed rather than the crap all over the floor, her arms hugging her body.

“Do you…want something to change into?” He asked her awkwardly, making his way over to the dresser on the other side. She probably would be a lot more comfortable if she didn’t have to sleep in a jean jacket and a skirt. She said nothing, but he pulled out an old hoodie regardless, walking back over to the other side of the room to hand it over to her. She had removed her heels as soon as they arrived, and she dropped them on the floor and took it out of his hand.

“There’s a bathroom across the hall.” He informed her, and without a word she silently slipped out of the door to go change. He sat down on the edge of the bed and held his head in his hands. It had only taken him twenty-three years, but he had finally become his father. He let himself see red instead of thinking things through, and this was the consequence: he scared her and pushed her away and now she hated him. He just wanted Jet to leave her alone; that little fucker will think twice before bothering either of them again. God, that’s probably what his dad thought about him; with that unpleasant thought his stomach twisted again, making him feel like he was about to vomit. The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree.

She came back in after a few minutes, her old clothes folded neatly in her hand. “Where should I put this?” She asked, motioning to them in her hand.

“Anywhere’s fine.” He said, and she set it down on the nightstand. He tried to ignore the fact that she looked like a dream in what she was wearing, his clothing far too large for her. It came down nearly to her knees, and she had the sleeves bunched up so she could still use her hands. The oversized nature of it hid her delicate features, but he knew what she looked like by now. There was nothing to speculate about; he knew her proportions and exactly how they were hidden. He had been so busy imagining that he hadn’t realized she’d completed her task and was starting at him expectantly, waiting for him to leave. Her eyes were wide and her lip slightly pouted; it was because she was upset, but good God it was making his heart hurt.

“I’m so sorry.” He whispered as he got up, realizing he never actually apologized to her. “About everything. I’m sorry.”

She quickly closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his chest and pressing her face against him. Not expecting it, he sharply drew in a breath and felt himself tense even further, if that was possible.

“Please don’t ever do that again.” Her voice was a soft sob; it barely sounded like she was speaking at all as she buried her face into his chest and squeezed with all she had. He tentatively wrapped his bad arm around her back, burying the other in her hair and pressing her as close as she could be.

“I won’t.” He whispered in return. “I’m so sorry. God, I’m so sorry. It’s ok now.” He kept repeating the words over and over as she silently cried against him. She loosened up her grip after what felt like hours, and he let her pull away.

“Can you stay?” She looked up to him and asked.

“Yea, of course.” He gave her a little nod, and she walked over and sat down at the edge of the bed that was closest to the door. He went to the other side, slipping off the watch and unbuttoning his shirt, and pulling out something for himself to wear. She didn’t look, not that he expected her to. Instead, she lifted the sheets and slid herself under the covers, laying on her side. The bed wasn’t that large, so he laid next to her on his side, putting one hand on the curve of her stomach.

“Is this ok?”

“Yea.”

Ok, good. Making some progress. At least he could still sleep next to her instead of on the couch that he was too tall for. He tried to settle in as much as he could, not daring to move more than he had to, and she did the same.

He found his mind drifting back to her once she was settled in. This is the first time he’d been this close to her and unable to do anything about it. It was far too tempting to move the hand she let him put around her. He could picture the whole thing, slowly sliding that hand down between her legs. She’d be a little hesitant at first, but she’d let him in, tilting her hips back toward him and spreading her legs apart. He’d have to use his other hand to cover her mouth to keep her quiet but he’d tell her that it was necessary, just this once, and that he hated to do it because every noise that came out of her mouth sounded like heaven. She was still so tight; he could probably only fit two fingers into her. It would certainly make her feel a lot better; she’d grip the covers and arch backward and try to stifle the noise the best she could. And then when that was done…

Then what? Was he really going to fuck her on the rickety wooden bed and wake up the house? Fuck her on the couch in the living room where they'd get walked in on? Not to mention his hand was busted; he wouldn’t be able to do anything in the first place. All of his genius thinking had only given him a throbbing erection and there was nothing he could do about it except to tilt his hips away from her to avoid making her any more uncomfortable. The hand had to stay where it was; unfortunately, it was probably the last time it would even be on the curve of her stomach. It was probably the last time he would feel her pressed against him like this, warm and comforting as she slept silently. He was really going to miss her. He’d gotten way more attached to her than he should have; a lot of good it did him to figure that out now. She was just one more good thing in his life that he managed to ruin by being stupid.

He didn’t sleep a wink the entire night. His mind kept flicking back and forth between focusing on her and the rise and fall of the moon out the window. In between was another pervasive thought: what the fuck was he going to tell his uncle? He hadn’t told him a thing about her since she left the shop back in January. Every time he’d gone over to her place, he’d either snuck out or, if he was caught, didn’t tell him where he was going or who he was going to see. He could try and sneak her out through the fire escape, but with her being upset with him it was probably not the best idea to shove her out a window. He could wake her up early and tell her to leave but that would run into a similar problem, and he wanted to let her rest. He stayed up to watch the sunrise, mulling everything over, its hazy yellow stain drifting over the neighboring building and into the room. His uncle was an early riser and not long after the sun had risen, he heard the familiar sound of him shuffling in his room to get dressed, then out to the kitchen. With no better plan, he got up out of bed and joined him.

“Good morning, Zuko.” He greeted him cheerfully as he came into the room. His warm smile quickly faded as he glanced down at his hand. “What happened?”

God, he’d nearly forgotten about it. He took a deep breath and sat down across from him at the table.

“I went out with someone last night.” He quietly admitted, looking down at the tea-stained wooden surface of the table rather than at his uncle.

“That’s fantastic news!” His uncle’s smile returned. “Good for you, my nephew!”

“Someone was harassing her, and I stopped it.” He continued with the story, tilting his bandaged hand to show him.

“I see.”

He took another breath and continued. “She was pretty shaken up. She spent the night.”

“Well, that’s no problem.” He assured him. “We’ll fix her up with a nice cup of chamomile and some breakfast and she’ll feel better in no time.”

“No.” He snapped back, shooting his glare up to his uncle. “As soon as she’s up I’m taking her home. I don’t need you badgering her with a million questions; she’s already been through enough.”

He didn’t mean to be so hard on him, but he needed to set the boundary. His uncle looked a little taken aback by the sharpness of his tone, but he quickly softened his face and looked him in the eye.

“You seem anxious, nephew.”

“Do I?” Of course he was anxious, what a stupid thing to say. After he said it, he realized his good hand was absentmindedly picking at the corner of the table and he was sitting so tense it felt like a metal rod was riveted onto his spine.

“Just breathe.” His uncle said calmly. He closed his eyes and did just that; taking in a deep breath, holding it, and releasing just like he’d taught him to do. “Don’t worry about me; I’ll be good. Go and make sure our guest is comfortable.”

“Uncle?”

“Yes?”

“She doesn’t know about the family.” He confessed, lowering his voice and leaning forward on the off chance that she could overhear. “Don’t say anything about it.”

His uncle adjusted himself slightly in the chair, leaning more of his weight forward. “A lie is not the best way to start a long-lasting, healthy relationship.”

He wanted to yell and scream at him and say that it wasn't what this was, but it would all be too difficult to explain on a short notice. That, and he didn’t want to tell his sixty-something-year-old uncle that they were fucking and give him a glimpse into his sex life.

“I’ll tell her when it’s time.” He assured him. “Now is not the time.” There would never be a good time to open that up, but that answer placated his uncle. He gave him a little nod before heading back over to the kitchen and pulling out the teapot from the cupboard.

He took another deep breath, trying to mentally prepare for the rest of the morning, before getting up and heading back to his bedroom. Katara had woken up; she kneeled on the covers and braided her messy curls. She was looking out the window, but she turned her attention to the other side of the room when he walked in, closing the door behind himself.

“Hey, you’re up.” He sounded like an idiot pointing out the obvious, but he didn’t really know what else to say to her.

“How’s your hand?” She finished her braid by tying the end and throwing it over her shoulder, looking down at his hand instead. She didn’t seem upset or angry with him at all; it threw him off guard. He was expecting more tears or shouting, but she was acting like nothing even happened.

“It’s, uh, its ok.”

“Does it feel like it’s throbbing?” She sat up a little straighter on the bed and collected the covers around her legs.

“Yea, a little.”

“That means it’s too tight; I’ll rewrap it.” She exhaled, holding out a hand and motioning for him with her fingers. Still confused, he sat down on the bed next to where she was kneeling and gave it to her.

“Sorry I was so sloppy; you shouldn’t have slept with it like that.” She undid the clip and began unwrapping it. “It was just… out of it I guess.”

“It’s fine. It’s better than what I could have done.”

“Did you even sleep?” She paused with her work long enough to look at his face. He must have looked and sounded as exhausted as he felt.

“Uh, yea, a little.” He managed to stammer out a lie, although it wasn’t very convincing.

“If you don’t rest, it’s not going to get better.” She softly scolded him as she inspected his hand, once again going knuckle by knuckle to test for pain. “How’s this feeling?”

“It’s ok.” It still hurt, but the pain was duller and the redness had subsided. The cuts that lined the knuckles were fresh scabs now rather than open sores, and the swelling was mostly gone. He winced as she pressed her thumb down on one of the bones in his hand, but the pain wasn’t early as severe as it had been.

“If this still bothers you after a few days,” she kept her thumb on the bone in question, “go to the hospital and get it x-rayed. You might have a fracture, but you’re probably fine.” She continued her work, starting the wrapping anew. Most of the wound had closed before she wrapped it the night before, so the cloth was still fresh enough to be reused. She tied it looser this time, and the slight pulse in the tips of his fingers ceased.

“Hey,” She tentatively started as she fastened the clip, “what did Jet mean last night? About Water Tribe girls?”

“It’s lewd. I’d rather not repeat it.” That was really low of Jet say that in front of her. He never believed the stereotype to begin with; it had never crossed his mind since he’d been with her. The Water Tribes were isolated from the mainland, so they were considered exotic. The exotic label combined with the lack of infrastructure, particularly where she was from, and their patriarchal nature created many others. The girls bore the brunt of it, from his understanding at least: they had the reputation of never being able to keep their legs closed, and that most became useless housewives with a million kids. Telling her that Jet thought of her as a stereotype in the way would probably only upset her even further, so he decided it was best not to.

“I figured.” She signed and let him take his hand back.

“Don’t let him get under your skin. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“Yea, he did kind of deserve getting his nose broken.” A little smile traced across her face. She didn’t seem nearly as upset about the whole thing as he was expecting her to be.

“I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“You were trying to stop it; thanks for that.”

Thanks? Was this really not that big of a deal to her? “I took it too far. I should have just left.”

“Well, I can tell you’re pretty beat up about it. And I know you were just trying to help.”

“So…are we ok?”

“Yea. Just try not to beat anyone bloody again.” He felt like he could take a deep breath for the first time in a week as relief washed over him. She didn’t hate him after all; he was forgiven, and she wanted to move past it. The momentary bliss of being forgiven was quickly overshadowed by the next obstacle.

“My uncle is in the kitchen.” He informed her. “He said he’ll make breakfast and tea, if you want. Or I can take you home.”

“Do you want me to stay? Or is it better if I left? I don’t want to intrude more than I already have.”

Of course he wanted her to stay; he wanted to just lie back down in bed and sleep for the next twenty four hours with her pressed against him. He wanted to exist in a private bubble within the world where he could make it all up to her like he’d fantasized about last night. But that wasn’t what would happen; she would get out of bed and his uncle would immediately recognize her and he would never stop hearing about it from him. What was best for both of them was whatever made her more comfortable; if that meant his uncle seeing her, it was a risk he was willing to take.

“It’s up to you.”

“Do you want me to stay or not?” She nudged him gently with her shoulder.

“Stay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really need to go through and retag this fic lol. I feel like I'm figuring out where the relationship should go as the characters do. That being said, I do have the next four-ish chapters mapped out in my head. I'm still going to focus on plot for a bit, but get ready for some more emotions (both good and bad).
> 
> Ok a slight side note: I know everyone always makes Iroh go for jasmine because it's his favorite but chamomile is supposed to help with anxiety, although the effectiveness of herbal teas being used to treat stuff like that is in question. Iroh sounds like one of those people who are like "there's an herbal cure for everything and it's some form of tea" so I sort of broke with tradition a bit here.
> 
> I hope ya'll are enjoying the ATLA resurgence as much as I have been too; nearly all of my friends binged it over the weekend and I keep getting messages from them crying and thanking me for forcing them to rewatch it. Still can't convince one of my best friends not to ship Maiko though (although they're the only one in our friend group that really likes her). But the one thing we all agree on: Jet is a grade-A POS.
> 
> -nein


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff inbound. Not much of a tw, but they finally start talking about feelings and the like.

_> K: Sorry, I have to cancel tonight. Got the flu from work_

_> Z: I’m coming over_

_> K: Don’t! You’ll catch it too_

_> Z: I’m coming over and I’m bringing tea_

In her frustration, she sighed and threw her phone back onto the nightstand. She felt terrible, and she looked just the same. She hadn’t washed her hair since yesterday, only showering to try and raise or lower her temperature to counteract the fever and chills. She was still wearing the same hoodie from yesterday too; now sweaty and gross from the sickness. She was going to have to attempt to look decent. 

The first step was sitting up; the rest of the work was much harder. She threw her gross clothes in the corner of the room and dug out better ones, an old stained tshirt and sweatpants, before trying to drag a comb through her hair. Her hands just didn’t have the strength to detangle her mess of curls, already worsened by the two days of bedrest. After getting her comb stuck in a particularly bad knot, she gave up. She pulled the comb out without ripping out too much hair, a painful process in itself, she tied everything back off of her face, her fingers not even having the strength to section and braid it. She quickly brushed her teeth and tried to wipe the sweat off her pallid face before making her way out to the living room. She pulled the throw blanket around her body, curling up in its softness on the couch, and waited.

It was hard to tell how long she sat there waiting, her consciousness flickering in and out as she closed her eyes to rest, but eventually there was a knock on the door. Her personal DoorDash delivery of tea from downtown.

She got up and let him in, trying to keep her distance as much as she could by returning to the couch while he went into the kitchen. He came with a little brown paper bag that contained her present, and he set to work preparing it.

“It’s nearly May,” He pointed out as he grabbed a mug from the cupboard. “How’d you get the flu now?”

“A kid sneezed on my face at work.”

“That’s gross.” He wrinkled his nose.

“I know!” She squeaked out. “I tried to like, wash it off my face but I got sneeze in my eyes.”

“Kids are gross.”

“You have no idea.” She loved kids, but there was no denying it. The number of children that came in with rashes acquired from daycare or being diagnosed with flu or norovirus that they picked up from their classroom, especially over the winter? Most of the cases were handled through whoever the pediatrician was but once the kids’ fever spiked, they became too dehydrated, or the kid scratched the rash too much, it was the hospital’s problem. Seeing how nasty children were almost made her want to stay away from pediatrics, but something in her heart swelled every time a child thanked her for helping take care of them. She remembered seeing one little girl come in with a 105 fever right before Christmas, and her weak heart couldn’t take it. She bought her a teddy bear from the gift shop, and a week later the girl’s mother dropped off a crayon drawing the little girl made for her to thank her; it was still pinned to their fridge.

“You really didn’t need to come over.” She scolded him as he filled the mug from the tap. “You’re gonna catch whatever I have, and you’ll get everyone at your shop sick.”

He rolled his eyes in response and ignored her. “I’ll be fine.”

“What kind of tea is that?” She pointed to the brown paper bag in his hand.

“No idea.” He pulled one of the little paper packets filled with herbs to examine it. “My uncle makes these himself; goes down to the markets and buys the herbs and stuff. He swears this one’s good for flu.” He put it up to his nose and smelled it. “Maybe echinacea?”

“As long as there’s no grapefruit or citrus in it then that’s fine.”

“Why?”

“They counteract medication.” She gave a sniffle after the end of her answer, and he gave her a little nod in understanding. She wasn’t taking anything for this besides Ibuprofen, but it could also inactivate her birth control, which she really did not want to mess with.

“Don’t you work in a tea shop?” She pointed out as he put everything into the microwave; a carnal sin according to his uncle. “How do you not know what that is?”

“He made it up for you about an hour ago.”

“He didn’t have to go through all that trouble.”

“He likes you.” She liked the old man; when he was her patient he was jovial and sweet, and when he made her breakfast he kept his words kind and concerned. He didn’t press for details, but he asked if they’d contacted the police and made sure she wasn’t living alone before sending her on her way. He even let her go with some little sweet cakes from the shop too, hoping it would help set her at ease after the ordeal. It was awkward at first, appearing in his own home unbeknownst to him, but his gentle nature quickly swept the tension under the rug and he welcomed her with open arms. It was hard to believe that he and Zuko could even be related, with his uncle being so open and Zuko being so reserved and quiet, but the two had only been living together for a short time. They didn’t even look related; then again, the old man was nearly three times his age. 

She didn’t have the heart to tell his uncle she wasn’t much of a tea person, but the stuff he’d given her in the shop and in his home weren’t half bad. The mug in her hands now smelled nice, a drizzle of honey adding to the faint sweet smell along with the herbal aroma. It tasted just as sweet, and it gave her tongue a slight tingling sensation and warmed her sore throat. The chills she had felt before were momentarily abated, and she lulled her head back onto the couch and closed her eyes to relish the numbness creeping through her mouth and sinuses and the warmth flowing toward her core.

“Is it good?” She must really be out of it, because she didn’t quite remember Zuko bringing it over or sitting down next to her. Her eyes still closed, she gave him a weak nod. A second sip made her ears pop as she swallowed, making her head feel less full.

“Did you eat anything?”

She responded with another little nod. “Just crackers and toast. And tea.” Remembering it was in her hand, she took another sip.

“Do you want real food?”

She shook her head. “Toph brought me soup last night and I couldn’t keep it down.”

“Is she out?”

“She’s in class all day.” The more she drank, the more her throat was soothed and the pressure in her head relieved. The warmth felt nice in her stomach, but the rest of her body wasn’t catching up. As her core warmed, her extremities felt colder and colder. She curled her knees a little tighter toward her chest and felt a shiver go down her spine.

“Do you want to rest?” She gave him a weak nod, feeling her shoulder seize as she started to shiver again. Yes, bed sounded very nice right now; getting out of it had taken everything out of her. He took the mug out of her hands and set it down on the coffee table, and she forced her aching joints to stand up one last time and move herself toward the bedroom. The floor was freezing underneath her toes, and as soon as she uncurled herself it felt like all of the heat had been sapped from her body. By the time she found the bed her teeth were chattering and her fingers were shaking; she used the last of her remaining energy to lift the covers and crawl underneath. Zuko laid next to her, wrapping his arms around her core in an attempt to keep her warm. Once the worst of the chills subsided, she relaxed her sore muscles and tried to force her body to rest. She hated taking days off like this; there were a million things that she needed to get done, but all of it needed to be put off. All she could think of were the labs she was going to miss, how taking time off would set back her term paper, and—

“Hey.”

She rolled onto her other side to face him, but kept her eyes shut. “Hey.”

“I really hated seeing you with Jet.”

She managed to chuckle a little despite her clogged sinuses. “I hated being around him.”

“I think what I’m trying to say is…” There was a pregnant pause, and he swallowed as he tried to find his words. “I don’t like seeing you with other guys. And I think I’d be upset if you were with anyone else.”

That was surprisingly forward for him, and out of nowhere. If her head wasn’t so foggy, it would have given her whiplash.

“I’m not seeing anyone else.” She told him. “Are you?”

“No.” He replied quickly. “Well, there was this girl that asked me out at work the other day. But I told her I was seeing someone.”

“You got asked out by a customer? That’s rude.”

“I guess I didn’t think about it like that.”

“If someone asked me out while I was working, I’d be pissed.” She thought she was being lighthearted, but he went silent. Maybe talking so casually about getting harassed at work wasn’t the best idea. No, that couldn’t have been it, it’s not like he said he deserved it or something. So why what did she say to make him shut down again?

“Oh.” It wasn’t about what she said; it was about what he was trying to tell her. God, what did she take that was making her this out of it? It must have been the tea; it had to have been. Toph always told her she was the blind one out of the two of them, but how could she not have seen this coming? It was so obvious: he always paid, they’d both met family and friends, and he came over and gave her tea when she was sick just to be with her. It wasn’t just him being nice; there was more to it. The time for this to culminate was here and now, and she needed to think of what she was going to do. 

Whether she would admit to it or not, she liked him. She liked when he came around, she liked talking to him, and she loved everything in between. Her consciousness had tried to convince her otherwise, that it was just because he was cute and nice to her and that he gave her what she needed after her breakup, but it wasn’t just that. It hurt when he messed up his hand, and it hurt seeing him so upset that night.

She liked that he apologized when he did something wrong. His anger could get a little out of hand, but it didn’t worry her because of the way he acted when he said sorry. He didn’t try and reason with her and get her to see his side, he just cut to the chase, and it felt like he really meant it instead of just trying to brush off her feelings. He listened to her and what she wanted instead of trying to tell her what was best for her. He let her be emotional about his actions instead of telling her forget it and to move on. Its comforting to have someone you can be emotional around who won’t judge you for it. He was comforting.

He really wasn’t as emotionally distant and shut in as she thought at first, he just had a different way of showing it. Aang had always been gushing with his feelings, so outward you’d be drowning in love. That wasn’t a bad thing, it was just what she was used to after being with him for so long. Zuko showed it more with his actions, and the simple ‘I’m sorry’ was the biggest way he said it. 

“If you went out with that girl from your work, I think I’d be upset.” She’d tried not to think about it too hard, but their agreement wasn’t a binding one. If he wanted to sleep around she couldn’t get mad at him for it, even if the thought did upset her. But, from the sound of it, he hadn’t.

“Do you think you’re going to stay in the city for med school?”

“Yea, I think I am.” She hadn’t formally accepted the offer yet, still mulling it over, but she did get into med school at her current university. Better yet, the hospital she worked at agreed to keep her on and let her do her rotations there when the time came.

“I don’t know when I’m going back yet, or if I’m going back.” He told her, tracing his thumb along her cheek. “But I want to stay here as long as I can.”

“If you like it here, you don’t have to go back.” He still didn’t tell her why he had to leave eventually or why he was even here in the first place. The only thing he alluded to was it was family related, but if he had family here then she didn’t see what the big deal was.

“I don’t really get a say in it.”

“You’re twenty-three. You can have a say in your life.” He had work here and he was an adult, they couldn’t just rip up his life like that.

“It’s complicated.” She wanted to ask him more to try and figure it out, but if that was all he was going to tell her then so be it. She already knew she couldn’t force things out of him, and right now she didn’t have the energy to try. Maybe in time, when things were more stable he’d tell her what the situation was and she could understand, but now was not the time.

“Well,” she pointedly spoke to change the subject. “If we don’t want each other seeing other people, and we like each other, then… do you want to put a label on this?”

“Fucking is a label, too, you know.” He reminded her as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She let out an exasperated sigh; now it was her turn to pour her heart out and be ignored.

“You know what I mean.” Her voice sounded much more pouting than she had wanted it with the sore throat and the clogged nose. 

“Yea, I do.” He slowly tilted his face up and gently kissed her forehead. “And I think I’d like that.”

“Don’t do that; you’re gonna get sick.”

“God…” He grumbled in response before getting up out of bed. “Do you want the window closed? It’s starting to rain.”

“No.” Even with the sickness hampering her senses, she could hear the soothing chorus of raindrops hitting the pavement and the bricks on the building. Warm spring rains in the city were different than the rain back home: they were much louder, drowning out the extraneous background noise. It had taken a long time to get used to all that noise; the South Pole was so desolate you could hear the peaceful thud of snowfall from inside the house. The rains in the South were short-lived and just as quiet, while here they could be torrential downpours that flooded the streets. They were far from something gentle, but the tame roar of water washing over the city was soothing to her ears and mind. She let herself focus on that instead of everything else, wrapping herself around Zuko after he crawled back into bed, this time without a shirt on in an attempt to keep himself from overheating, and allowing the soothing warmth of him lying with her lull her to a much-needed rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS MY PERSONAL SOAPBOX: DO NOT EAT GRAPEFRUIT IF YOU'RE ON ANY KIND OF MEDICATION. The effects on a lot of different meds are well characterized, but for real, it's not something to mess around with. This goes for grapefruit flavored things and stuff that has the juice in it too.
> 
> I think this chapter marks the rough halfway point through this fic (if I can actually finish one, lol). This is the last peaceful, fluffy one for a while; next week the real shitstorm starts. So enjoy the fluff and warm feelings while you can, and keep yourselves safe. The US is going through a lot rn, and my heart goes out to everyone that's going through it.
> 
> -nein


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I know I said the bad feelings were going to come next week but this chapter just flew out of my fingers, so here it is. We'll start getting into a bit of an explanation for everything soon, but here's the beginning of the end.

It got quiet in the afternoons around the Jasmine Dragon; too late for lunch, and too early for dinner. Today his uncle was out running errands, using the lull in business to see to personal items before the dinner rush, so it was his responsibility to hold everything down. He decided to stay in the back and clean; it needed done anyway, and uncle was getting up there in years. It was getting harder on his back and hands to sweep, mop, and do the dishes all day. He kept telling him to hire on more help, but uncle always insisted that it wasn’t too much for him to do and that he was younger than he looked. Never mind that he nearly had a heart attack a few months ago; the old man wanted to keep running his shop like he had for the past thirty years.

He heard the ring of the silver bell on the counter. He hated that little bell. It was the worst thing about working here; every time it rang, he felt like a dog being whistled at.

“Be there in a minute.” He halfheartedly called out in the direction of the counter, not bothering to hurry up to see what they wanted. The entire shop was empty, he could afford to take his time.

“I can’t believe I have to ring on my own brother like a servant.” He heard the person at the counter grumble in annoyance.

“Azula?” He blurted out, thoroughly surprised at her sudden appearance. He dropped what he was doing and turned around; sure enough, his sister was standing up against the counter, looking as clean and well-dressed as always: her hair tied into a neat bun, not a strand out of place; her blouse bleach-white, not a hair or piece of lint marring it; the matching Cartier diamond necklace and earrings polished to perfection. “What are you doing here?”

“Back home, we exchange a pleasant ‘hello’ when we greet family.” She snarked as she gently leaned a perfectly manicured hand on the counter, lightly tapping her red nails on the wood in annoyance. “Don’t tell me your time in… this place has made you forget your manners.” As she paused, she took a quick look around the modest shop, expressing her obvious discontentment in the way she curled her lip.

“Then again, you never really had manners to begin with.” She took her hand off the counter and reached into her red, crocodile-leather Birkin tote. “I’m in town doing some business for Dad, but I’ve come with news from home and a gift.” She pulled out a pink card, the edge of the envelope sealed with ivory colored wax with dried cherry blossoms pressed into it.

“Ty Lee is getting married.” She informed him as she handed him the card from across the counter, which he presumed to be the wedding invitation. “The wedding’s in July.”

He took the card out of her hand and examined it closer. The wax seal was imprinted with the mon of the her family, a paulownia with three sets of flowers in a 5-7-5 arrangement over three leaves; interesting, he thought it would have been the mon of whomever she was going to marry. He could smell a faint perfume coming from it was well; he couldn’t pick out the exact one, but she was always fond of Cherry Garden by House of Sillage, so that was probably what she chose here. 

Azula loved to lie and tease him; what else was an annoying little sister for? Once they grew up she wasn’t as bad to live with, but they rarely spoke after they started attending college. She was busy with her own things anyway; she attended the best law school in the world, kept her grades at the top of her class, and the last he heard she was set to become the editor of the Law Review. It certainly looked like Azula was telling the truth this time around, everything about this screamed Ty Lee.

“Which one of her boyfriends finally proposed?” He mused as he continued to examine the card. Ty Lee, his sister, and him and all attended the same boarding school, the same prep high school, and the same college since they were seven. He didn’t consider her a very close friend, she was usually more wrapped up with his sister than him, but he knew her well enough to know that she would be the first of them all to get married. She always craved the attention she got, playing up her looks and charm to constantly surround herself with men. It was intensely annoying when they were teenagers; she’d always be followed around by a score of them trying to win over her affection. She was such a sappy, hopeless romantic too; of course she’d get married right out of college.

“Chan Mori.”

He rolled his eyes and tried to refrain from groaning. Chan Mori; what a dick. He never saw why she was interested in that guy to begin with. He was the prototypical type-A personality rich asshole. The Mori’s were new money; the only reason he was marrying her was probably so that he could brag about how he bagged one of the old-money Toyatomi girls. No wonder it was sealed with the Toyatomi mon instead of the Mori one, she was marrying beneath herself. Sounded like it was going to be a short marriage and a quick divorce.

“You should see the bridesmaid dresses she’s making us wear.” His sister continued. “First of all, they’re four years old. She could have at least picked something last season, but she loves to torture us.”

“What designer?”

“Zuhair Murad’s spring collection. Pink florals, for a July wedding. I mean, my God, pink florals in a spring collection to begin with? How groundbreaking.”

“That’s Ty Lee.”

“Do you have any idea what I had to threaten Mai with to get her into the fitting room?”

He paused and looked up at her. There it was; that was the catch to receiving this information. She wanted some kind of reaction out of him, but he wasn’t going to give it to her. “Now I know you’re lying.” He told her, keeping his tone calm and neutral. “She’d rather hang herself than wear that in public.” He dropped the card back down on the counter. “Tell Ty Lee that I wish her a happy marriage, but I won’t be going.” This was a neat little trick she was playing, but he was not going to fall for it. If Ty Lee was getting married, he doubled she’d miss his absence. 

He knew what it meant if he went back to Caldera. Dad wouldn’t allow it, especially if he was seen at something like this. This wedding was going to be the event of the summer if Ty Lee had any say in it, and if he showed up Dad would be pissed. This was an elaborate test that he must have put her up to, to see if he would break their agreement and come home without his permission. Despite what they might think, he wasn’t that stupid.

“And what exactly should I tell everyone you’re so busy doing here that you can’t attend?” She drummed her nails on the counter again.

“Tell them I’m working.”

“Doing the dishes at a tea shop for peasants?” She sneered and wrinkled her nose. “Uncle might not be, but you and I are better than this. It’s embarrassing.”

“Try telling Dad that.”

“I did.” She informed him, flashing her devilish smirk across her cherry red lips. “And he agrees; I pulled some strings, and did a lot of sucking up, but I got you the jet for the trip and the royal suite at the Dragon Imperial.”

He stayed silent, completely frozen in shock. Why would his dad allow this? Giving him the family jet and the most expensive room in the most expensive hotel? There had to be a reason for all of it besides saving the family face. Why would dad be so worried about it all of the sudden? He wanted something else.

“I still haven’t heard my ‘thank you’ yet.” Azula snidely pointed out, breaking him out of his concentration. “I just gave you good news.”

This wasn’t news; it was a demand. It was an obligation. The wedding he could politely decline, but his father's gifts were much more direct: come home, or else. There was no way he could hide out here, he was now in debt to his dad for what he was giving him. Why Dad wanted him back so suddenly he didn’t know, but it was time to go home and find out.

“Well,” his sister sighed, “I hope you enjoy the last few weeks in this dirty hole-in-the-wall before coming back to civilization. I’ll have my assistant send you the details of the arrangements once I get back to Caldera tonight since Dad’s in-between.” She left the invitation behind as she walked toward the door, her black Louboutins clicking against the old green linoleum.

“In between? What happened this time?” He knew firsthand that his father was not kind to his employees. He’d been through quite a few secretaries and assistants in his time; only the ones who thrived on masochism stuck around.

“You haven’t heard?” She seemed genuinely surprised and sincere as she stopped herself. “He’s engaged to his last one.” This time he couldn’t help a groan. Of course his father would stoop so low as to marry his own secretary. His marriage to their mom had been the longest, and their mother had been the most honorable out of the bunch, but with succession he picked someone worse. His second marriage was the year after their mother died to some socialite but that hadn’t lasted either; at least she had the guts to slander him in the tabloids after their ugly divorce. 

“Third time’s the charm, right?”

“One can hope. By the way,” She paused before opening the door. “You get a plus one. Bring that girl you’ve been seeing.”

“Who told you about that?” He demanded, his jaw dropping and his blood beginning to boil. It was Jet, wasn’t it? He told that fucker to keep his mouth shut after he let him off last time, but now he was going to have hell to pay. Whatever Azula paid him for that information, he was going to double it and ruin him; he was going to burn. There was the off chance that it was his uncle, but he would never betray him like that, would he?

“You did.” Azula told him. “Just now.” Her characteristic smirk returned as she got the damning information she’d been hoping for. He silently ran through every expletive he’d ever heard in his mind, then alphabetized them.

“See you in July.” She gave him one last devious smile before quickly turning on her heel and seeing herself out the door.

It was bad enough he was getting dragged home, but the one crucial piece of information he tried to keep secret was now out in the open. And he had just told it to his sister. Azula was smart, and he should have known better than to let her weasel it out of him. Right after she arrived back home, she would use her contacts from law school to figure out who Katara was. It wouldn’t be that hard for her to do, to find out everything about her within the span of a week. Within a week, she would know everything she needed to go after her. Within a week, she would tell everyone about Katara. Within a week, Mai would know. Within a week, his father would know.

There was only one thing he could do now.

* * *

_> Z: I have to go back to Caldera. This isn’t working out anymore._

Two sentences, no apology, no explanation. Curt and professional, like he was cancelling a meeting with a colleague. She tried texting him back to get more information, something to put her mind at ease, but he never responded.

At first she was angry, angrier than she’d ever been at Aang. How could he do something like this? Two weeks ago he wanted to get serious, and now it wasn’t working out anymore? Who does that? Someone who didn’t want to actually commit, that’s who. He didn’t really care; he just said what he needed to in order to get what he wanted, then when he got bored he threw her away. That was the type of person he was, apparently.

She should have known better than to trust him to begin with. Of course he didn’t actually like her, he just wanted a good lay. She had never felt so used; how could she have let herself fall for it? Why would she have ever thought that someone she made out with blackout drunk at a bar would want anything more?

Next, the sadness hit. And it got worse and worse as the days went on, burning away her anger and replacing it with grief. Grief over the loss of someone she considered a friend; grief over what she thought the future would have held; grief for the time they had spent together that she would never be able to get back. Those memories brought searing pain now instead of joy, like a white-hot ball of fire in her stomach that made her double over in pain, unable to stand. It made her mouth taste like ash and soot, made her feel fatigue akin to the sickness she got over a week ago. How could he even taint memories of her illness?

The first week was the worst. It was hard enough that it was finals week; life was hell to begin with. Getting the energy to do anything besides be depressed and lay in bed was hard. Graduation was a slog instead of a joy; the ceremony went on for hours and she just wanted to go home and go to sleep, but she forced herself to put on a happy face for her dad and grandmother when they came up to visit. Finding the willpower to get out of bed and go to work was even harder. She had never been so unfocused before, forgetting important paperwork and to stop for a break and eat. When one of the nurses brought her tea to try and wake her up and make her feel better, she thought she was going to throw up.

Two weeks in, things were bearable. Sleeping and eating returned to normal as she chose to ignore everything and push past the pain instead of dwelling on it. The intrusive thoughts continued to creep into her daily life: that she was an idiot for falling for that bullshit, that if she honestly believed it then she deserved to be alone.

Three weeks in, she did something stupid: she texted Aang. He already knew what happened. That was another thing to be embarrassed about: she got so excited when they made it official she told all of her friends, then two weeks later she had to tell all of them it was over. The only shining light through all of this was that Aang was there for her through it, and that they finally patched things up. He apologized for his comment; he was just trying to make sure she was doing ok after the breakup, and that she wasn’t trying to rebound and do something she regretted. He hit the nail right on the head, and she couldn’t even be angry with him anymore about it. She found his philosophy reassuring for once; he encouraged her to meditate instead of brood on the situation, and he helped guide her through it. He forced her out afterward to this new, organic, everything-vegan place to help clear out her chakras, and it was good. She’d barely had the energy to cook for weeks, so eating something green and paying an exorbitant amount of money for glacial spring water was the cleanse her system needed. Suki took her to the gym, and she focused her pent-up aggression into working out. The serotonin injection she got from running a mile with her friend each morning became her new way to wake up. Even Toph pitched in, mostly because she was tired of her moping around the house, and took her out to go get ice cream once she got her diploma and had officially graduated. It helped; it really did.

But nothing could get rid of the memories that surfaced at the most random of times that would cause her stomach to knot and her heart to ache. It was always the stupidest things: the rain, the smell of tea, passing the place she took him to dinner, seeing someone at the gym that sort of looked like him. And every single time, without fail, everything would come rushing back all at once and choke her. It felt like drowning; she could get her head above the water, but another wave would come and pull her back down. Grief was suffocating, nearly inescapable, something only time could fully heal. It felt like there wasn’t enough time in the universe to heal from this, that she would be miserable and alone for the rest of her life.

She absentmindedly checked the time again on her phone, taking a break from her work for just a moment. 2:36 pm, Monday, May 27th. As of five minutes ago, it had been four weeks since she got that text.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for reference, here's the bridesmaid dress Azula was talking about:
> 
> I know I stole the quote from The Devil Wears Prada, but Azula is That Bitch so it fits. I've always loved Zuhair Murad and I'm sure ya'll can see why Ty Lee would once you parse through. Of course, the perfume I mentioned she wears is real and you can Google that too; just look at the packaging and tell me it doesn't look like something she'd have to buy. And yes, I totally stole the whole "putting perfume on something important" shtick from Legally Blonde. Sue me (literally).
> 
> A mon is a motif that can represent a family, sort of like a coat-of-arms or a crest. They used to only be for aristocracy in Japan, but that's not really the case anymore. Either way, some people still use them for their family or buisness; Ty Lee's mon is related to the ancient Toyatomi noble clan, but now its the official one for the PM of Japan. I used the names to mean something here; Mori was a samurai clan rather than a noble clan. You get the point.
> 
> -nein


	10. Chapter 10

Zuko found a nice, comfortable spot to sit on the flat rooftop above the apartment and pulled out the paper pack and the cheap Zippo he bought at the gas station. Tearing the plastic wrapping off the pack, he crumpled it in his hand and threw it aside, letting it blow away in the wind. He took out a cigarette, put it between his lips, cupped his hand around the end so that it wouldn’t blow out in the wind, and clicked the lighter. He took a long pull and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the vents, before exhaling through his mouth and nose. 

He hated smoking. It was a nasty habit, and it never made him feel any better. With how little he was sleeping, he needed the buzz just to stay awake. He tapped the ashes onto the rooftop before putting it back in his mouth and taking another drag.

Four fucking weeks. It was four weeks ago today, and another four weeks before he had to leave. The waiting was the worst part; he felt like he’d entered purgatory. The day after she left, he got the details from Azula’s assistant confirming the reservation. After he RSVP’d to the wedding, Ty Lee reached out to him for the first time since he left. He was very insistent that, no, Azula had lied to her and he wasn’t bringing a guest, but she told him he could bring whoever he wanted and that the extra chair was always open. He told her not to save it. Curiously, he didn’t hear a peep out of Mai, Azula, or his father; no doubt whatever they were plotting would either be saved for the wedding or would be done in complete secret so he wouldn’t even know what happened. He spent his spare time trying to outthink them, trying to see through their minds and predict the future. His uncle thought that his father had some job he wanted to rope him into; an offer he couldn’t refuse, but what? He desperately wanted to know what they had in store for him, and what they were doing with their knowledge about Katara. He hoped the distance he put between them and his vehement denial of it was enough to throw them off the trail, but he had no way of knowing.

He needed a drink. Drinking helped much more than smoking did. He finished as much of the cigarette as he could stomach, flicking it onto the gravel rooftop before clambering down the fire escape and onto the sidewalk. He didn’t even know where he was walking to, meandering down the splintered grey sidewalks and perfectly square blocks until he stumbled upon a bar he’d never been in before. So many places in this city were recognizable now, but he wanted to avoid the familiarity.

“Five shots of Fireball.” He told the bartender after he pulled up a rough-hewn stool and sat himself down.

“You want those with extra spit, or is the normal amount ok?”

The dainty voice of the girl didn’t match the venomous words, and in his utter confusion of being spoken to like that by a bartender he looked up from the counter. It was that girl she was friends with; not the blind one, the one that was dating her brother. Of fucking course he had to waltz into the bar she worked at, now of all times.

It was easy to see why he hadn’t recognized her; her work attire was much different than the dress she wore the last time they met. She had a large tattoo of a geisha on her right arm that was visible in her short-sleeved green shirt, one hand holding a sword while the other held a fan to cover the mouth. She kept her short hair tied back and out of her face in a messy ponytail rather than having it fall around her face. Katara seemed to be the only one of her friends who grew out her hair, he really hoped she kept it that way. Wasn’t that a thing that girls did sometimes after a breakup, chopped all their hair off? It would be a shame if she did.

He could easily get her friend fired for what she just said and she must have known that, but why go through all that trouble? It was better to leave and find somewhere else to drink where he wouldn’t be bothered. Maybe he should even just pick up a bottle from the liquor store and bring it onto the roof where uncle couldn’t find him.

“Guys like you are the worst, you know that?” She continued the barrage as he stood himself back up. “Do you have any idea how vile it is to do that to someone, how that makes them feel?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He mumbled in response, trying to keep himself under control.

“I don’t?” She snapped back. “I’m the one she’s been crying to for the past four weeks after you refused to speak to her again. I think I know what I’m talking about.”

He forced himself to stop, barely out of his seat. It was better this way, to just rip off the Band-aid and have it be so sudden. It saved time and the heartache of trying to talk things out, there was no talking things out. There was no sweet, romantic alternative to the situation; it needed to end, so it ended. That didn’t mean it was an easy thing to do. The music playing overhead and the shuffling of chairs became fuzzy and faint as he stared down at the dark wooden bar counter, trying to snap himself out of it. It's not like he wanted to have to do this. Things just got good here, and it all came crashing down so quickly. That was how his life always seemed to go; it never stayed good and steady for long, something always came along to ruin it.

“Hey,” She softened her tone, “you don’t look too good.” Her voice sounded slightly distorted as she spoke. He realized he hadn’t been breathing, and he shook his head a little and forced a breath into his lungs. He felt like he was about to collapse as he inhaled, the warm, stale air in the bar getting to his head. He made a silent pledge to himself that he really needed to quit smoking. The nicotine buzz had kept him functioning wasn’t worth passing out in front of his ex’s best friend for. A few deep breaths later and his head cleared enough for him to sit himself back down. He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to steady himself and regain his composure. Whatever insults she slung his way in the meantime were well deserved, anyway.

“Huh?” He vaguely heard her say something, but he didn’t catch it.

“Why don’t I know what I’m talking about?” She repeated slower this time. “What’s going on?”

“It’s complicated.”

She rolled her eyes but pulled up the bottle of Fireball and a few shot glasses anyway. “That’s what she said you kept saying. You know, she’s going to be a doctor, right?” She started to fill up the five glasses in succession. “She’ll figure it out, no matter how complicated it is.”

He grabbed the first one and downed it before she was even finished filling the last. The familiar burn of cinnamon and alcohol in the back of his throat woke him up from the haze he was in, and finally gained a bit of mental clarity.

“There’s a lot of drama with my family. I’m not dragging her into it.” He reached for the second.

“Why are you dragging yourself into it?”

“I don’t have a choice. If she stuck around, they’d pull her it whether I had something to do with it or not.” He downed the third.

“You could have been a little nicer about it instead of ghosting her.”

“It’s better she hates me; it’ll help her get over it quicker.” That fucking hurt to say out loud. He shot back the last two in rapid succession, relishing the burn of concentrated cinnamon. The intense taste of it on the back of his tongue was an acute reminder of her cheap perfume that he couldn’t bring himself to hate. Fuck, why did he order cinnamon whiskey and talk about Katara at the same time?

“I know there’s a lot to this story that I’m missing.” She set the bottle down on the counter. “But I understand that if you really didn’t care, you wouldn’t have stayed here and explained that little bit to me. And you look like shit, so clearly you’re taking this just as hard as she is.”

“Thanks.” He sneered back to her. In another lifetime he absolutely would’ve gotten her fired for being a nosy bitch, but that kind of attitude wouldn’t win him any favors now.

“You sound just like Sokka.” She told him, leaning her elbows on the counter. Who was Sokka again? That was the brother, right? “He always thinks he needs to go over the top and be the savior. I think you’re underestimating Katara. I don’t know if she’s going to want to hear you out, she’s pretty mad at you, but you’re not even giving her a chance to deal with the situation. You just assume you need to white-knight for her and that she won’t be able to stand up for herself. I don’t know what your family is like, maybe they really are that bad, but maybe you don’t know her well enough if you think she’s a wilting flower that needs protecting.”

She made a valid point, Katara wasn’t afraid to fight back. She yelled at him more than once, and if he hadn’t stopped her, she would’ve smacked Jet into next week. If anyone could go toe-to-toe with his sister, it was her. Dad wouldn’t like her and neither would Azula, but she could hold her ground if he warned her about them. He could at least give her a heads-up of what might be coming for her so she could prepare for it like he gave her with Jet.

“You know,” she continued, “if you got it off your chest and told her the situation, it would help both of you move past it. Maybe she’d realize why you had to do what you did, or maybe you’ll realize that you made a mistake.”

The only mistake he made was being born into this God-awful family, but again, a valid point. If her friend thinks honestly would help her, then maybe it was time to be honest. That’s what uncle thought he should have done from the beginning, but he agreed that there wasn’t much good in doing it now. He thought it would have made things more difficult and harder to let go of, but maybe she was right. Making her see why might help her, and from the sound of it she wasn't doing good. He always liked the honesty they shared, but now it was time to lay everything on the table. It was the right thing to do.

“Thanks for the advice.” He reached for the bottle and poured one more out. “You want one? I’ll pay.”

She gave him a quizzical and slightly judgmental look. “It’s three in the afternoon on a Monday.”

He shrugged off her implication and drank the last one by himself. Maybe he should try texting her. That was probably something for sober Zuko to do. Or maybe he should do it now and get it over with? No, he needed to go home, think it over again, and talk it over with his uncle to make sure that it was a good plan. Buzzed Zuko might be able to get his words out better, but he shouldn’t text her out of the blue after having six shots.

“Why are you still here?” She asked one last question before he stood up a second time. “Not, like, in my bar; I thought you were already supposed to be gone.”

“I’m here for another four weeks, then I’m home. Trying to keep myself out of it for as long as I can.” He pulled out the cash to pay her before quickly turning around and heading toward the door.

“Hey!” She called him back to the bar before he could leave. She indignantly held up the hundred-dollar bill he had thrown on the counter. “Is this supposed to buy my silence? I’m telling her I saw you in here today.”

“It’s because I know you don’t make any money.” He retorted, watching her scowl morphed into another very confused look before turning around and leaving.

* * *

“He did what?!”

Suki said she had some important news, but she wasn’t expecting for her to say she spoke to Zuko at her bar. He turns up, without warning, at her bar. The only person to see or hear anything out of him in four weeks and it was Suki. What was he even doing here? He must have lied to her about having to leave as a cheap excuse.

“I know.” Suki held up her hands. “He was being really weird; he threw back six shots in five minutes and paid me with a hundred-dollar bill. He looked…bad.”

“What do you mean, bad?”

“Stressed." There was a hint of concern in her tone when she said it. "And I don’t think it was because he bumped into me.”

She should have felt vindicated by hearing that, but she didn’t. Her emotions were a wild mix of fury and worry. She didn’t really know how she was supposed to feel about this new revelation; only knowing the details would help her decide.

“What did he say?” She desperately pressed her friend for more information.

“Well, first, he said he didn’t actually have to leave for another four weeks. That’s why he’s still here. But he has it in his head that his family will hate you and he said he wants to keep you away from them, and that’s why he broke it off.”

“I haven’t even met them; how can he say that? And why does he care so much about what they think, anyway?!”

“I don’t know.” Suki shrugged. “I couldn’t really get much out of him besides that.”

“Of course not.” Her temper turned sour and threw her hands up in frustration. This was all such bullshit. “That’s how he always is!”

“Hey, I know this is a lot to handle,” Toph finally piped up from the other side of their kitchen. “But don’t get too worked up about him, he’s not worth it.”

“You think I should calm down?!” Her voice was dangerously close to cracking as she nearly screamed at her roommate. “I’m completely calm!”

“Katara—”

“Don’t ‘Katara’ me!” She snapped back at her roommate.

“Ok girlie,” Suki stood up and forcibly grabbed her shoulders, drug her over to the living room, and sat her down on the couch. “You need to sit your ass down and think like a rational person. Toph is not the enemy, and neither am I.”

“I’m allowed to be upset.” She indignantly told her friend.

“Well yell at him, not us!” Suki protested, gesturing vaguely with her hand.

“I would have if he’d let me.”

“You might get your chance. I urged him to consider reaching out to you.” She felt her heart skip a beat, but she wasn’t sure if it was out of embarrassment of excitement.

“Are you serious? Why would you do that?”

“If he told you what was going on, it would probably help you both move past it. I’m not sure if he’ll follow my advice or not, or if you will, but that’s what I think.”

“Don’t fucking talk to him.” Toph cupped her hands over her mouth and dramatically shouted over. “He had his chance and he blew it. If he’s sad then he can suck it up.”

“It sounds like his home life is pretty rough.” Suki explained, keeping her voice calm to try and cut through the tension. “He’s really beat up about what happened, and he really doesn’t want to go. I think he still likes you.”

“You think so?” She felt her spirits lift a little at the thought. God, she was such a sucker. But Suki always gave the best relationship advice and she could always read people well, so she knew her friend wasn’t just trying to get her hopes up.

“Yea, I do. I’m not saying you should get back with him, I’m just saying if he wants to explain himself then I think you should hear him out.”

“Well I say fuck him.” Toph emphasized. “You’re a sap, Sugar Queen, but you know him better than I do.”

“I’ll think about it.” She told her friends with a sigh. Suki gave her a warm smile and rubbed her shoulders a little to try and calm her down. “Toph, can you pour me a glass of wine while you’re in there?”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ya'll, just throwing out a TW for abuse because we're finally digging into what the deal with Zuko is (and of course, you can't mention Zuko's backstory without mentioning his dad, so that's why).

_> Z: Don’t really know how to say this, but I bumped into your friend and she said we should talk. I feel like I should explain myself and my situation. If you’d like to hear, come down to the shop tomorrow; I don’t want it to be a text._

So, she did. After some careful deliberation, and a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, she agreed. She couldn’t believe she was letting herself stoop this low. She was better than this. But being a bad bitch that cuts people off is hard and tiring, and she couldn’t let go yet. Not quite yet, not when she was about to hear everything. So she did her makeup, curled her hair, put on a nice dress, and went down to that goddamn tea shop.

“You look terrible.” She intended it to be malicious, but it was the truth. His skin was pallid, making the little pink birthmark under his eye look even more pronounced. Dark bruises ringed his eyes, now a much dimmer amber than gold. He looked like he’d even lost a little weight, his cheeks slightly sunken in further than she remembered.

Despite the remark, he stayed still and silent until she seated herself in front of him. He swallowed, closing his eyes momentarily before taking a deep breath and exhaling.

“I lied to you about two things.” He began.

“There’s another girl, isn’t there?”

“What?” His emotion finally showed in the form of surprise, but he shook his head. “No. The first thing I lied about was my last name.”

“Ok?” Now it was her turn to be surprised. That was an odd thing to lie to someone about. Was he a criminal? Was he in trouble with someone? Why would someone lie about their name?

“My last name is Yamato.”

“Ok?” It definitely wasn’t as common of a surname as Li was. In fact, she’d never met anyone with it before. There was one person with that last name that she knew, but that was impossible, they couldn’t be related.

He winced slightly before quietly saying the next part. “My father is Ozai Yamato.”

Ozai Yamato was a household name. She had no idea of the details of his business besides that he owned fancy hotels, five-star restaurants, and bought up real estate, but she knew he was always getting in trouble over it. Every other month, she felt like she read a news article about how he underpaid his employees, how he was discriminating against the people he lent housing to, how he scammed customer’s money for some project then never gave them the product. Nevertheless, he branded his name as a status symbol. Ozai Yamato was a name of luxury, of decadence and wealth. 

Her immediate reaction was to call bullshit. No way was this guy that worked in a tea shop the son of Ozai Yamato. He had to be lying, but that was an easy thing to figure out. She pulled out her phone and gave it a quick Google. She knew he must have a Wikipedia page, and if he had any children, they’d be listed on there. Oh God, he did have a son named Zuko. When she clicked on the article, a very well-dressed picture of him came up.

For the first time since this whole thing happened, she felt completely numb as she let her phone slide out of her hands and onto the table.

“You can probably guess the second thing I lied to you about.” He said slowly. He was the son of one of the wealthiest men on Earth. He wasn’t just rich, he was insanely rich. The kind of rich where you, your children, and your grandchildren would never have to work and still be able to wear Gucci. The kind of rich that if you tried to count to it out loud, it would take you your entire lifetime. The kind of rich where you didn’t have to worry about anything; everything in life is just handled for you.

“You probably have a lot of questions but let me explain some of it first.” He straightened himself up, rubbed his eyes, and began to tell the tale.

“After I graduated, I started working for my dad. That was always the plan for my sister and I, to go into business with him. I did the finances. At first, I just did whatever he asked and signed on the dotted line. He doesn’t like it when you question him, and we got in a fight right after I graduated, so I was trying to be good. But I started reading deeper and digging into some stuff, and I found out he was hiding a lot of his money. What rich people do, is they hide their earnings so they don’t have to pay taxes on it. They shove their money into offshore bank accounts with addresses that don’t even exist so it can’t be taxed, or into a fake charity or business. There’s a million ways to hide money other than that, but I won’t get into it all now. I wasn’t really surprised when I figured out what he was doing, everyone does it, but what I figured out was that he put a ton of it in my name. So, if he or the company ever got audited or it was investigated, I would go down for it and not him. Not only that, but since I was his accountant, he could spin it to say that I was stealing money from the company and keeping it for myself. He would stay completely clean, even though he did the dirty work.”

“I was pretty pissed when I found out and I confronted him. We got in a really big fight about it; he told me that it was his money and that he could do whatever he wanted with it, and who was I to say how he should run his business and where he should keep it? I told him I don’t want to get wrapped up in anything dirty and to take it out of my name. He said, since I was so insistent on not taking his money and that I was ungrateful for what I had, then he’d take away everything. There wasn’t any reasoning with him at that point. I lost my job, my apartment, and the money. He ran me out of town and said he never wanted to see his ungrateful, poor-excuse-of-a-son in his city again. That’s when I reached out to my uncle and I came here.”

“Why…” She still wasn’t quite over her initial shock, and she couldn’t get out a question to ask.

“I didn’t tell you earlier for a lot of reasons.” He bitterly continued with his explanation. “Now that I’ve distanced myself from him, I realized how embarrassed I am to be related to my father. I hate that I even tried to get him to care about me, because he has only ever cared about his money and his own image. He will only ever use my sister and I to get what he wants. After I left, he told me to keep me quiet. If I tried to get him in trouble or get him audited, he’d come after me. He wanted it to appear that the family was getting along peacefully, even if we never have, so he told me to keep my mouth shut about the fight too. Everyone back home thinks I’ve just been staying in Ba Sing Se for the past few months, they have no idea I’m not working of him anymore.”

She sat forward a little and spoke quieter. “Did he threaten you? To not talk?”

He shuffled awkwardly in the seat and looked down at the table. “You know how I said my mom died in a car accident?”

“Yea?”

“Her and my father were going through a divorce; the only reason she stayed with him so long was for my sister and me. It wasn’t finalized at the time, but I found out when I was in college that a week before someone ran her off the road, she told her lawyer she was going to try and get custody of us, but Dad didn’t want her to.”

Her jaw fell to the floor. “Oh my god.”

“I don’t know for certain that he had something to do with it, but that’s always in the back of my mind whenever he goes off. He’s never told me that I’m going to end up like mom or anything like that, but he has the best lawyers, he can pay off cops; shit, he could pay off anyone. He can do whatever he wants, and he knows it.”

“Is that why you’re going back? Is he forcing you to?”

“Not necessarily; an old friend of mine is getting married in a few weeks. I would have stayed here and not gone, but he allowed me to have one of the rooms in our best hotel and a private jet for the trip. That’s his way of getting people to do what he wants: he gives you something expensive, and then you owe him. I couldn't refuse it; all of the arrangements were already made for me. He might just want me to make an appearance again to show everyone that things are still good with the family, but I don’t know. Uncle thinks he has some job he wants me to do so I can work for him again, which I’ll try and get out of if I can, but I have no idea what to expect.”

“Why would he want you back? Not that you’re not qualified for a job, I’m sure you are, but it sounds like you’ve never gotten along.”

“We haven’t. It got worse after my mom died. He probably expects I’ll beg for the money and my old job back, but I’m not going to. The money was nice, but I’m not groveling to him anymore.”

“Good.” She nodded to him. “You shouldn’t.”

He sighed again and straightened himself up. “Look, um… the reason I broke it off was because I accidentally let my sister find out I was seeing someone when she was here to give me the invitation. My dad and I fight enough; I don’t want him using you as ammunition. I didn’t break it off to appease him, I just didn’t want you getting caught up in all of it. I’m sorry that I let it go on for as long as it did; I should have known that this was going to happen. It’s not that I didn’t like you or that I wanted to lead you on…but I don’t want him coming after you too. I’m sorry.”

After the long talk, she had almost forgotten the reason she was here to begin with. She had come in prepared to hear half-assed excuses and to argue, but the truth sounded far too plausible to be fake. Ozai Yamato had that kind of reputation, of course he would financially abuse his son. God, she still couldn’t even wholly believe that this boy, the one she met in a bar that gives you 2 beers for $5 at happy hour, could be the son of that man. Hearing him talk about these things had made her more hopeful again; it felt like they were just as close as they had been a month ago. It almost felt like nothing had happened to begin with, but it had. This was their first conversation in four weeks and she saw why: the stress of his father was killing him, it was written all over his face. He was trying so hard to get out from under it, but they just wouldn’t let him. The least she could do was give him one less thing to worry about.

“No one’s come after me.” She reassured him. “No one’s been stalking me, or DM’d me or anything like that.”

She saw him take a deep breath and tilt his head back, like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. “Good. I didn’t give her any details and I told everyone who asked that my sister was lying. I don’t know how much she was able to dig up about you, but you should watch yourself. I can give you her info if you want, but she’s crafty.”

“Thanks. I’d appreciate that.”

It felt like they’d come so far, yet nowhere. The awkwardness between them now was so different than the first time they’d sat together in the quaint little tea shop. Its awkward to try and go back to normal after you’ve seen someone naked, after you’ve shared such intimate moments together; she knew that from Aang. It takes time to brush these memories away and mold the relationship into something new and different, even if there was no relationship to found.

“What now?” She couldn’t help but ask. Her mind was still reeling, but the heart was aching and ready to move on. To move into something better, now that he had opened up to her for the first time. The heart understood what the mind couldn’t just yet, that he wasn’t a bad person. She had tried so hard to convince herself he was to help ease the pain, but she just couldn’t hate him right now. Toph was right, she was a sap; against her better judgement, she pitied him. She felt that he deserved better than this, that he deserved the life he wanted to live instead of the one being thrust upon him. He deserved to be able to get away from his shitty family and move on with his life.

He looked away and sighed. “I don’t know. You have every reason to be angry with me, and to never want to speak again. I don’t know if I’ll be coming back at all, so we might never see each other again after this.”

“I think I need some time to think about all of this.” She told him, and he gave her an understanding nod. It was a lot to process all at once.

“If you want any more clarification, you can talk to me. If you want to.” She supposed that was his way of telling her that his phone was open again. She nodded in return and got up from the booth and walked back home.

That night as she crawled into bed, she Googled him once again. His bio in Wikipedia was about the same as what he had told her, excluding the drama with his father of course, but much more curt. The next article that caught her eye was much more dramatic: “Billionaire Playboy Zuko Yamato SPLITS with Mai Takahashi and we’re, like, DEVASTATED.” Celebrity news outlets certainly weren’t reliable sources of information on personal matters, especially ones that don’t know how to use the Oxford comma, but she caught a glimpse of a picture of the two at the beach together. She couldn’t help skimming through it; apparently, they’d been off and on for years, but when he came here they broke up for good. Those who were devastated were fans of Mai, a bunch of teenage and twenty-something year old girls who fawned over her modeling work. Not much else was written about her besides her breakup and her photoshoots. She had the face and body of a model: perfect porcelain skin, twiggy, not overly beautiful like a movie star but different looking enough that she made what she wore look interesting. She only ever seemed to model in depressing colors and dramatic styles, she couldn’t find a picture of her in anything colorful or simple. She certainly fit the description he’d given.

She found Zuko’s Instagram account; it was a wonder she didn’t find it earlier. There were pictures of his Lamborghini, his custom motorcycle, his industrial-style upscale apartment, the luxury hotels his father owned, and more pictures of him and his girlfriend. He didn’t look like much of a photographer; most of them were very old, he only posted once every few months, and nothing was posted after he moved here.

It was still a lot to absorb even after a few hours. He didn’t wholly lie to her, but it felt like the person in these articles and pictures was so different from the person she knew. The life he had here was just a sidestep away from the idyllic version he used to have in a different city. He dated a model for Christ’s sake. He went from dating a model to her. He probably thought she was unbearably rustic with her cheap clothes and makeup, the stretch marks on her thighs, and the job she had to work to pay rent. She was a nobody, from nowhere, working to support herself in the big city, and for the first time in her life that felt depressing. She was a nobody to these people, and that’s how they would treat her.

She could feel herself tearing up again. No, she was tired of crying. She couldn’t let this make her feel inadequate. Look at all she had done without being a trust-fund kid; at the very least, she had family that cared and supported her. She had friends that she could talk to; speaking of, she needed to text the girls and have another bitch session so she could tell them what happened. He was going through all this shit, and he had no one. Even if he was kind of a dick for hiding it from her so long and for potentially putting her in danger, that was pretty sad.

Instead of texting her friends, she texted him.

_> K: I can tell that it was really hard for you to open up to me today. I just want you to know, if you want to talk about it more, I’m here to listen._

God, she really was a sucker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you probably guessed, Yamato means something too. The Yamato dynasty are the current ruling dynasty in Japan, the family of the emperor; it's an old name of power, so I figured it was fitting to steal. They're also said to be descended from the god of the sun, so that makes it even more fitting.
> 
> So about two weeks ago, I started writing another zutara story 👀. It literally came to me at 10 PM and I just had to write it down, and now it's at 30 pages 👀👀👀. The're not a good or edited 30 pages, it's mostly drabbles of plot here and there throughout the storyline, but I just wanted to let ya'll know I have another one on the way because I'm really starting to like the way it's getting fleshed out. It's a gritty war drama, definitely more deserving of the M rating than this one. I won't start publishing it until I wrap this one up because if I don't, then this one won't get finished and I'll start only publishing that, and this story is my baby and I want to see it through. Anyway, enough of me rambling; hope you enjoyed the backstory and the feelings, we'll keep the same vibe going next week.
> 
> -nein


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally starting to get good feelings back after the bombshell! We're getting there, I promise, but I want to write this in a healthy way and that's hard to do quickly.

Dinner was as expected: a one-sided conversation. He hadn’t been in the mood for cheery chit-chat in a very long time, and he hated small talk. He didn’t give a fuck that the girl that asked him out came back to the shop when he wasn’t around, he didn’t care that his uncle found an antique Pai Sho board that would surely get thrown with the rest of the junk in his temporary room, and he didn’t care that it was going to be humid tomorrow.

It was an old tactic of his uncle, to try and get him to speak. When he was a teenager, he hated how he babbled on like a doddering old man. When he got older, he realized he did it because he hated seeing him sulk and he wanted to try and distract him.

The awkwardness was filled with work. He couldn’t cook for shit, but his uncle made him learn the basics, like frying and egg and making rice. He wouldn’t let him do much else besides that, probably out of fear of the apartment burning down. One perk of being rich that he did miss was having the chores done for you. You didn’t need to know how to cook when you can pay a professional chef to do it, even if it wasn’t that hard.

So, he made rice while his uncle made the rest, all the while droning on about how his favorite seller at the market was out of ginseng this week. Until his prattling shifted to the elephant in the room, he barely paid attention.

“I think it was good day.” His uncle said as he picked up another piece of roast duck. “You’re finally being honest with one other; you should keep the momentum going.”

He frowned when he finally tuned in. “Uncle, you know I always value your opinions and guidance. But that is by far the worst piece of advice you’ve ever given me.”

“And why is that?”

“She hates me. It’s time to drop it.” He should have known this would happen. He knew his uncle wasn’t going to drop it; any personal detail about his life was the most interesting thing in the world to this man. He was just desperately trying to avoid digging himself into a deeper hole than the one he had already created.

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” His uncle put down the chopsticks just for a moment; he must be serious. “You explained yourself and she came and listened without judgement. That was difficult for both of you, and I think you have both gained a new understanding for one another.”

“Her new understanding is that my dad is a rich asshole, but everyone already knows that.”

“Zuko, how many people do you speak about your father like that toward?”

“Not enough.” He grumbled as he continued with his meal.

“That’s my point. How many people your age have you told that story, or any story about your father?”

He couldn’t answer. Instead, he kept his eyes down on his food as he twisted the chopsticks between his fingers.

“No matter where things go, you opened up and she helped you do that. That’s a big step. I’m proud of you.”

His thumb unconsciously found that little chip in the corner of the wooden table and started to run along it. He suddenly didn’t feel very hungry anymore.

“She’s good for you.” His uncle continued his encouragement. “You should keep being open and honest, and good things will come.”

“Can we please stop talking about this?” His voice sounded very small when he finally spoke again.

He heard the soft clicking of his uncle picking up his chopsticks again. “Of course. You’ve come very far, but there is still a long way to go.”

And with that, he was on about what he wanted to have for dinner tomorrow. He nodded when appropriate and helped the old man clean up before turning in. Getting it off his chest did feel good. It didn’t make him feel better, but he didn’t like lying. He wanted to be honest, she deserved it. Besides, she was smart, she probably would have figured it out eventually. It was better he got it over with and told her before she found out on her own.

He didn’t really know how he expected her to react to it, but it certainly could have gone worse. Now more than ever, he wished he was better at reading people. Was she quiet because she was mad, or was she just trying to think it over? Was she being sympathetic, or was she in shock? It was so confusing. He’d seen her when she was mad and she didn’t act like that today, but this was a different situation than before. He assumed for most of the conversation that she hated him until she asked him what he wanted to do next. What was that supposed to mean?

He rubbed his eyes with his hands and turned out the light. It was going to be another sleepless night with a million things running through his mind. He was so tired of not sleeping; it felt like he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in years.

The harsh blue glare of his phone lighting up to disturb the darkness didn’t make his eyes feel any better. Well, actually, maybe it did make him feel a little less tired, once he read it. And it made the rest of him feel a little better, too.

_> Z: It is hard to talk about. Thank you for understanding and listening._

* * *

“He’s rich?!”

Out of everything she told them, that was Suki’s first reaction.

“He used to be rich.” She corrected. “His family is rich, but he’s not.”

There was a long pause. Suki sat back on the couch and stroked her chin as she digested it, an unfortunate habit she’d picked up from her brother. Toph stayed standing still in the kitchen, her foot tapping against the floor.

“Toph,” she turned to her roommate, “you’ve been quiet.”

She hadn’t said a word or made a face the entire time she’d been speaking. The blind girl in her kitchen looked more anxious than normal now that she put her on the spot, shifting her weight to her other foot as she played with something sitting on the counter.

“My family does business with his.” She quietly admitted.

She was expecting Toph to berate her for running back to him, not that. A surge of adrenaline bolted through her body, forcing her to grip the arm of the couch. “You knew him?!”

“I didn’t know him; I’ve never personally met him before you met him, and even if I had it’s not like I could have told you what he looked like. But I know of him.”

“I’m not really following.” Suki narrowed her eyes in confusion.

“Ok, so, I know I don’t let on, but my family has a little money.”

“Toph, I know you can’t see this apartment, but it’s nicer than what most parents can afford for their kids.” She told her. “We sort of figured you did.”

“Well, I do.” She raised her hackles and got on the defense before continuing. “But I was always kept out of the upper crust circles; instead of going to boarding school they hired private tutors, you know, since,” she waved her hand in front of her eyes. “Anyway, I never really got out of the house much when I was a small bean, so I never met any of the stuffy rich people my parents hang out with. Pretty tragic, I know, but honestly most of them are dicks anyway so it was for the better. Then I met you losers…”

“Ok, we get the picture.” Suki waved her hand to hurry her along, completely forgetting that Toph couldn’t see it. “Return to the topic.”

“I’m getting there, Miss Congeniality.” Toph replied with a tilt of her head. “The Beifongs are old money, most of our business interests are in banking. I wasn’t groomed into it, again for obvious reasons, but I know they do a lot of dealings with the Yamatos. The Yamatos need funds for new properties, the Beifongs need some new real estate, crap like that.”

“How do all rich people just know each other?” She commented vaguely.

Toph shrugged. “That’s how being rich works. Again, I don’t know him personally except for that one time we spoke when he came to my art show. But fuck, you sure know how to pick ‘em; the Yamatos are nuts.”

“Yea, so I’ve heard.”

“No, really.” She insisted. “The dad’s a lunatic; temper explodes at the drop of a pin. He’s a complete control freak and if he doesn’t get what he wants he throws a tantrum, at least according to my dad. My dad always hated working with him, but when your company’s relationship with theirs goes back generations, you have to suck it up. He totally killed the mom, by the way. I didn’t know she was trying to get custody, but everyone knew that he treated her like shit. It was the talk for weeks, but of course nothing came of it.”

“That’s insanely messed up.” Suki grimaced. “Could you imagine thinking you might have gotten your mom killed because she wanted custody? Like that has to really fuck you up, mentally.”

“I’m reversing my original decision.” Toph announced, leaning her elbows on the counter. “That boys had it rough, he deserves some pussy.”

“Toph!” She felt her face get hot as she snapped back.

“What?” Her roommate replied in annoyance.

“I think what Katara is trying to say,” Suki’s calm tone smoothed them over, “is that she might be reluctant to see him again after knowing these things.”

“Honestly, I still just feel numb.” She told them. “I can’t quite wrap my head around it. And I’m a little scared; like, what if they do send someone after me? He seemed really worried about that, and even you agree that his dad killed his mom.”

“Chances are, they won’t.” Toph said simply. “They don’t see you as a threat; to them, you’re just some podunk from the middle of the tundra that’s fucking him. That’s it. They know he has no money right now, so they can assume that you're probably not a gold digger. They’ll only come after you if, one,” she raised her index finger, “you try to get money out of ‘em, or two,” she raised her middle finger, “you get pregnant and want to use that to get money.”

“They’re not gonna care about anything else about me besides that I might try and get money out of them?”

“Honey, you’ll never meet anyone who is stingier than a rich person. They’ll hoard their money like Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas Eve, no matter how much they got. It’s all they care about, and they don’t give a fuck about anyone unless they’re trying to take it from them or give them more.”

“Well I didn’t even know he had money, so clearly I’m not trying to take it.”

“Good.” Toph said resoundingly, pointing a finger at her. “Stick to that story, and you’ll be fine.”

That gave her a little bit of hope. Maybe he was just being overprotective and there was no real worry. Zuko was always anxious about everything, maybe he overreacted on that front. Then again, if his father was as bad is it sounded, he had every right to. At the very least, his reaction made sense. She understood, that was what he’d wanted, right? 

“Hey.” She looked over at her two friends. “Can we agree not to talk about this with anyone else? That this all stays between us? It’s really personal to him.” Now that she thought about it, she almost felt bad for telling them in the first place. But she was still trying to figure out how to feel about everything, and she needed to talk it out with them to get her bearings.

“Believe me,” Suki chuckled. “I’d rather keep it to myself then tell all of the Kyoshi girls that my best friend slept with someone related to Ozai Yamato.”

“Ok, yea, whatever.” Toph agreed as she cracked a smile. “You got a point.”

She was still trying not to think about that part. “Thanks. And I mean it, not even Sokka.”

“There are easier ways to piss off Sokka than explaining your ex boyfriend's emotional trauma.” Suki brushed it off. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Besides, you two are over now, right?”

“Yea. Right.” It didn’t sound very convincing when it came out of her mouth, and it earned her two stares. “Oh my God, we’re not doing anything, calm down.”

“So why are you getting so antsy?” Toph asked with a wry smile.

“The only thing I did was ask for a little clarification about something he said. That was it; it was nothing."

“So why are you being so defensive?” Suki turned and asked apprehensively.

“I’m not being defensive.”

“She’s denying it!” Toph shouted, leaning far over the counter and pointing at her as she looked over at Suki with a massive grin. “Ha! I knew it! I knew you still liked him!”

“Will you calm down?” Suki snapped back. “You look like you’re about to jump out of your skin.”

“I just like being right.” Toph retorted, leaning her weight back and crossing her arms, but keeping the triumphant smile.

“Yea, I know.” She snapped back. “You don’t care about anything else besides that you’re right.”

“You’re changing the subject.” Toph sang sweetly.

“You’re like the annoying little sister I never had!” She threw her hands in the air. “You’re worse than Sokka!”

“I’m really touched.” Toph put a hand over her heart. “I’ve always strived to be the annoying one.”

“Ok, for real though.” Suki interjected the squabbling. “Are you talking to him again?”

“Not really.”

“See, there you go.” Suki looked over at Toph, who, once again, couldn’t see that she was addressing her. Nevertheless, it ended the argument.

After Toph finally quieted down and Suki left, she laid down in bed and stared at the ceiling in the dark. It had been over a day since she heard the news. They hadn’t spoken beyond the singular text she sent him and what they discussed in person that day. What was she supposed to do? They couldn’t just go back to being a thing again, but they’d taken the initiative to be honest. He made it clear that he didn’t think he was coming back, so was there a point in trying? Would he even want her talking to him, or would he think it was annoying? He would probably get annoyed, but he also made it seem like it was ok to talk again?

She pulled her pillow out from beneath her head and hugged it on top of her chest. Instead of the ceiling, she craned her head up and stared at the far wall, next to her dresser. It took her weeks to be able to look at that wall and not blush; after he ghosted her, it just made her sad. Now, it was making her feel warm and fuzzy again, and she squeezed the pillow a little tighter.

“Ok, fine.” She whispered to herself as she put the pillow back beneath her head and reached for her phone on the nightstand.

_> K: Have you ever spoken to other people about this besides me?_

_> Z: With my uncle. I saw a therapist for a few years before I came here._

That was good to know. He was trying, in healthy ways, to move past it. She couldn’t imagine how messed up he was before he started going to therapy. She wasn’t really sure how she’d feel if she was the only person he’d ever talked about it with. It would feel like an extra weight to carry around, shouldering the responsibility of being the only person he can talk to about his past. And at least he had his uncle too; she wasn’t the only person that he was close to, or used to be close to, who knew. Her phone lit up a second time in the darkness.

_> Z: I want to be clear about something. I don’t want your pity. Don’t feel obligated to reach out and be my therapist. I wanted to give you an explanation for my behavior. It wasn’t because I wanted to try and manipulate you into feeling sad for me. If you do want to talk that’s fine, I don’t want to push you away again. You’re easy to talk to about this stuff. But I don’t want you to think you need to talk to me if you don’t want to. It’s a lot to take in and I get that, and you’re busy. If you want, we can talk about it in person again when you’ve had some time to think it over._

That also felt good to hear. He wasn’t dumping it all on her and expecting her to have a strong reaction one way or the other. He wanted her to have her space and to process it in her own way. He was being a lot healthier about this than she would have expected; therapy must have done him good. She also felt herself lift up a little; he liked talking to her, he didn’t want to push her away anymore. It was so rare to see him be emotional, and he was finally ready to stop being so closed off.

_> K: I think I’d like that_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I posted this I did a quick look through my stats on this work, and I'm figuring it's time to give all of you lovely people a shout-out once again. Over 200 kudos, 60 comments, and 30 bookmarks! You all truly are lovely people, and each and every one of you is valid. I hope all of you are staying safe and riding out this year; I promise, the end of the year will be much better than the beginning for all of you! Stay hopeful and stay sane.
> 
> The biggest of shoutouts go to my reviewers: tullyblue12, ZetaRambler, Durrr07, MagB, WittleDimi, Alisha40216, storyoftheunknownfangirl, Fulcrum, plexus, RiseMaclay, lcjga, Lolzadog, renzie17, CaptainJo, Breeahnuhlynn, TheYellowTurtle, Isabella Leal, Darklady, Hristonostore Onnediel, SunshineRue, erinamelena, chai, dracaenas, JjBOI, Numberless, Ninalover, and AcetylcholineOD. I may not get back to you (sorry, I really am busy and sometimes I'm awkward and don't know what to say), but I love hearing your input!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took a hot minute to write y'all. I would like to remind those that may have forgotten that I am writing a thesis along with this (although word-count wise, this is longer than my thesis is), so I may be a little spotty until August. And I also have to move at the end of the month. Never a dull moment. Anyway, we're starting to get back into the good stuff again with this one, so I hope you enjoy! The last few chapters were a little slow and, although it was necessary, I'm tired of writing it slow so I quickened up the pace.

The first week they started speaking again was rough. He thought he had difficulty making conversation with her when they first met, but it was nearly impossible now. They met for tea again, she asked him a few more little questions that he stammered out the answer to, and she left abruptly. He thought after that it was over after that, once again, but she hit him up out of the blue after getting out early from work and wanted to talk again.

The second week was much better than the first. She wanted to talk about other things besides his past, and those questions were easier to answer. She also realized she had forgotten to personally thank his uncle for the tea when she was sick, which made the old man happy; thank God he never caught the plague from her. The third week was even better. They got back into talking about her work and his, although he didn’t have much going on at the moment. He quit his temp job and he was trying to convince his uncle to hire on some help after he was gone. It felt so strange; he was only here a short time, but it had become a new normal. The thought of leaving permanently weighted on him as much as leaving his old home and job had. The third week was when they figured they could just be friends again, or possibly for the first time. They liked talking to one another, at least she said she liked talking to him, and even though their lives were going to separate them they could always keep in touch. It was nice knowing that he could always reach out to her and tell her what was going on, even she was a world away. It was one small comfort from Ba Sing Se he was allowed to keep.

“When do you leave for the wedding?” She asked over tea on the Sunday afternoon of the fourth week.

“Wednesday. The flight’s in the morning; I’ll get there Wednesday night. The wedding is on Saturday.”

“How are you feeling about it? About the wedding, I mean.”

“I don’t know; nervous, I guess. I just want it to be over already.”

“An old friend of yours is getting married.” She gave him a warm smile as she cupped her hands around her teacup. “That’s something to be happy about and look forward to. You should try focusing on that rather than everything else.”

“I feel bad for her, to be honest. I haven’t spoken to her fiancée in a year, but the last time I did he was still the same dickhead.”

“Why do you hate him so much?”

“He hit on my ex at a party while we were dating. Among other things.”

“You used to go to parties?”

“I go when I’m forced to by my sister and her friends. I am being forced to go to this wedding, in case you forgot.”

“What about the bride? Why’s she too good for him?”

“Ty Lee’s sweet. Before you… she was probably the only person I could talk to, just a little. She likes being happy, and it bothers her when someone she’s close with is unhappy. You’d like her.”

“What does she do?”

“She was an Olympic gymnast, but now that she’s graduated college I think she’s trying to create her own couture line. I’m not sure, we haven’t spoken much.”

“Like, clothes?” She knit her eyebrows together when she asked.

“High end clothes.”

She sipped her tea and nodded pensively. “That’s a big switch from being a world-class athlete to getting into fashion.”

“She didn’t place in the last Olympics. I’m not sure if she’s giving it up completely or if she just wants to get out into the workforce. Being close with my sister can make you feel pretty inadequate, so that might be why she’s shifting gears.”

“You think she got to her?”

“Azula gets to everyone.” He sighed and looked around the shop. “That’s the thing I’m really not looking forward to. She always has to be little miss perfect, especially around me.”

“You never got along?”

“We did when we were little. But when we got older everything turned into a competition, and she always won. Like, both of us were really smart kids, but when I got a 95 on an exam, she’d get a 99 and the extra credit. Shit like that; it just gets under your skin after a while. That’s why Dad likes her so much; she’s the perfect daughter.”

“Ouch.” She winced a little. “Thank God Sokka and I were never like that. I mean, sure, it happened every once in a while, but my dad was a lot more…chill I guess is the best word? We grew up without a mom, so we were all he had. He always told us that both of us were good at different things, but that didn’t mean one of us was better than the other. We’d help each other out on the things we didn’t understand; I’d proofread his English paper and he’d help me with Calculus.”

“I wish my sister and I could be like that, but she makes it impossible. I can barely talk to her without it feeling like a war zone.”

“I’m sorry. How did she take things with your mom?”

“She wasn’t really close with Mom. She got up and went to school the next day like nothing happened.”

“You can’t lose your mother and not be affected by it.”

“Azula wasn’t. She isn’t fazed by anything.”

“She probably was, but she just won’t show you that side of herself. What she really needs is someone to talk to, like you did, but she also probably doesn’t want to admit it bothers her.”

“I doubt it does.” He mumbled, but what she was saying did make a little sense. “She’s going to walk around the reception and make the whole thing about herself instead of, you know, the wedding. When she came here, all she did was complain about the bridesmaid dress she has to wear and the colors and dumb shit like that even though Ty Lee is her best friend.”

“Hey, while you’re there, I wanna hear all about it.” She gave him another warm smile, and he was thankful that she changed the subject. “I’m serious; tell me every little detail about the wedding. If the groom is as big of an asshole as you say he is, and if your sister is going to be like that, I’m sure there’s going to be drama.”

“You’d have to come with me to see all of it. If there’s one thing that rich kids like more than money, its drama.” He was joking when he said it, but after he thought it over it sounded like a nice idea. He was going to miss her when he was over there. Talking to her again had brought him a lot of peace; he hadn’t realized how bad he had gotten after they’d stopped talking. It felt like things were back to normal now, even if they were only friends. 

She cocked her head to the side. “Do you want me to come?” 

“It’s probably better that you don’t." He cautiously decided. "It would be fun, when you’re not around all of them, but… that’s the thing. It’s being around all of them.”

“What are they going to do?” She waved a hand vaguely. “Call me a bitch? Make fun of me for being poor? Whatever happens, it won’t be nearly as bad as Jet was.”

“No, but that doesn’t mean you should put yourself in a spot where you’re going to get attacked.”

“They’re not literally going to attack me. I’ll be fine, but ultimately, it’s up to you. I like getting out of my comfort zone, and I’ve never been to a wedding before. Well, not one like this; tribal weddings are different.”

“Less extravagant, you mean.”

“No, I mean most people follow the old cultural wedding traditions down there. It’s fancy enough for us.”

“Sorry. Yea, of course.”

“It’s ok. I know you didn’t mean it like it.”

“It would be nice to have someone there with me, at least to talk to.” He didn’t care if he didn’t have a date for the wedding, he was planning on being a wallflower and going home as early as socially acceptable anyway. He’d travelled and stayed in that massive hotel room alone before as well. Whatever happened during the wedding and with his dad, it would be nice to not be alone for it. He hated being alone when he fought with his dad before; at least now he could reach out to his uncle or Katara about it. But texting them with a 16-hour time zone difference was different than having them there, and his uncle never checked his flip-phone to begin with.

“Do you want me to see if I can get off work?” She tentatively asked again.

“You’d have to buy a designer dress for the wedding.” He advised. “You’ll get ripped to shreds if you wear something from a department store.”

“I’ll just ask my roommate; she has money and she owes me a favor.”

“She does? She doesn’t act like it.”

“Actually,” she rubbed the rim of her teacup. “She said she knows you. She’s part of the Beifong banking family, apparently your dad does business with them.”

“I didn’t know Lao and Poppy had a daughter.” He had only met the Beifongs in person once or twice, but he’d never heard of them having any kids around his age. They weren’t overly secretive people, so it was a wonder that they had kept their daughter hidden for this long.

“She said she didn’t know who you were at first either.” Thankfully, she seemed to believe him. He was tired of deceiving her, and he didn’t want to lie to her any longer about his family and his old life. He had been worried that she would never trust him again, but he had passed this one little test. “Either way, she can hook me up with something, so don’t worry about it.”

He took a deep breath and tried to think about the reality of the situation. “Just so you know… they’re all going to know you’re not from money. Wealth is a small circle where everyone knows each other, and you’re going to be treated like an outsider. They’re all going to assume the only reason you’re with me is because you’re, uh… well, they’re going to assume you can be bought. And they’re going to look down on you because of it.”

She sat up a little straighter and pondered it. “If I’m being honest, it doesn’t really matter. I did feel a little inadequate when you first told me your situation, but then I realized that from the way you talk about it, I’m probably better off than most of those people. My family isn’t that messed up, I’m in a good program that I got into on my own, and I know I’ll make out ok. Who cares what they think of me? Most of them are useless anyway, and I’ll probably never see any of them again.”

How could one person be this positive and hopeful? All he’d ever done was tell her how horrible the upper crust of Caldera was, and she was ready to go in with her head held high. Most women would kill for an ounce of her self-confidence; hell, he would kill for some of it. Getting ran out of town made him finally realize that money and status weren’t everything, and she had come to terms with it so quickly.

“Ok.” He conceited with a little grin. “Let me know if you can get off work.”

* * *

She always had luck sleeping on airplanes, despite never travelling much as a child. The first time she rode on one was when she was eighteen; she and her father went to visit Sokka in the city, and to take a tour of the campus after her acceptance. The flight between the South Pole to Whale Tail Island was long, and they flew the entire way on a jet that was so small and old she was sure it wasn’t going to make it. The flights into the Earth Kingdom proper were much larger, more comfortable, and more luxurious than the one that couldn’t even fit fifty passengers, even if she did sit in coach the entire time.

This ride was much fancier than she could have imagined. The passenger area had sixteen seats in total, each was so big and soft it felt like your dad’s old armchair he wouldn’t let anyone else sit in besides himself, except they were brand new. Behind that was the dining area, with six seats in total around a narrow cherry wood table. Next was the lounge, with a massive TV and every single movie ever made on demand. There was a guest bedroom along with a master suite; the guest bedroom was only a folding couch, but the master bedroom had a queen-sized bed and a full bathroom attached. The entire thing was covered in ivory colored silk and leather, cherry wood, Carrera marble, and gold accents. Zuko pointed out the height of his father’s vanity; all of the gold was real 24 Carat, yes, even the seat buckles and outlet covers. Each of the chairs and the headboard of the bed was embroidered with their family symbol, a beautiful circular motif of a chrysanthemum. There was also an area for a hostess, but of course that was quietly stowed away and remained unseen.

They wanted to arrive by nightfall in local time, so they had to leave just after sunrise at 5 am. The only upside to travelling at that ungodly hour was technically, they could leave whenever they wanted to. Flying out of a private airport meant no lines to cut through, and no TSA. Their bags were handled for them the entire ride, from the cab that picked them up to the tarmac at the airport.

She tried to keep her excitement to a minimum when she buckled her golden seatbelt and they took off. They'd barely even left the city and it was already a fun adventure. The only people who knew she was going on vacation were her friends, who asked her to take a million pictures of everything. Of course, they didn't tell Sokka. He'd freak out if he knew what she was doing, so she asked Suki to keep it nice and quiet until she could calmly tell him about her surprise vacation when she got back. Bringing him home some stupid souvenir would probably placate him, anyway. 

It all felt so different; no crying children, no struggle to get your bags on board and into the tiny overhead compartments, plenty of room to sit and move around, food whenever you wanted it, and a bed you could sleep in instead of an uncomfortable chair that didn’t fold backward. It was the best twelve hours of travel she’d ever had. It was a shame it was probably a one-way flight, since Zuko still had no idea if he was staying or going. If he was coming home, she would fly home with him again; if not, he told her he'd pay for the airfare. Either way, a free flight to her was a treat.

Even after they arrived, the pampering continued. Their bags were unloaded for them and put into the car as they were whisked off to the hotel. With nightfall, she couldn't get a good look at the city besides the bright lights and tall skyscrapers as they rode down the mountain. When they arrived, their things were once again taken from them and brought up to their room, no questions asked.

The hotel was breathtaking; it looked like someone had converted a palace into a hotel. The vaulted ceiling in the entryway must have been three stories high by her rough estimate, and was supported by endless rows of Corinthian pillars. She didn’t get much time to take it in; he quickly ushered her over toward a circular desk on the right, staffed only a very old woman who looked like she could be older than her Gran-Gran judging by her wrinkles alone.

“Hey Lo.” Zuko leaned his elbows on the desk and spoke to the concierge. “Where’s Li?”

“Zuko!” She looked up from the computer screen at the desk and smiled. “So good to see you again. I hope your flight went well.”

“Thanks. We’re just in town for the wedding, how’s that been?”

“Oh, we’ve had quite a few check-ins for that.” She commented as she pulled up their registration, the keys on the computer clacking so loud they echoed around the mostly empty hall as she did so. “Some oil mogul checked in yesterday, been causing a fuss because you got the three-bedroom instead of him.”

“Of course.” He mumbled to her before turning around to hear her ramble on again.

“Li’s in the office; you have to come down and visit her when you get the chance. It’s been too long, Zuko.” She finally pulled up the correct paperwork, which he signed and gave back to her. “Now, do you want me to make any arrangements for you while you’re down here? You want dinner brought up to the room?”

“No, we ate on the flight. It’s been a long day; we’d prefer to just get settled in.”

“Oh, of course.” She responded before turning around and grabbing their room keycards. “There you go, dear. Have a nice stay and let us know if you need anything.”

“Thanks.” He took the little envelope with the two cards and they were on their way. Their room was on the top floor, the eighty-first. The elevator opened up to three double doors, each with intricate crown molding with gold accents; theirs was the first on the left.

The room was massive; it was the largest space she’d ever lived in. A small entry hallway led into a circular room that fanned out in three different directions. The corridor to the right led to the library and the other two bedrooms, the one to the left led to a private gym and a kitchen. The corridor in the center led to the main living room; branching off from that was the dining room and the master suite. All the floor was intricately patterned hardwood, all of the walls had custom paneling that matched the regal crown molding around the doors. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings with matching wall sconces. As weird as it sounded, the master bathroom was probably her favorite room. The mosaic tiles on the floor and wall formed golden flowers against a white marble background, making it look like a Grecian bathhouse. It had a real clawfoot tub and a walk-in shower that had the same floral motif. There was even a flat screen TV across from the bathtub. To top it all off, it had a heated floor. A heated floor! Who knew that was even a thing! And, of course, all the gold accents in the mirrors, on the backs of the chairs in the dining room, on the lights, on the tiles in the bathroom, and the fixtures on the sinks, showers, and bathtubs were real gold. She was so busy running around the place and looking at everything that she barely heard him call from the master suite.

“They unpacked all of our stuff in here.” She eventually found him by the walk-in closet between the master bedroom and the bathroom. “I’ll ask them to move my stuff over in the morning.”

“Why?”

“Well, I mean…” He shut the doors and turned around, leaning against them. “I figured you’d want to take the master. I’ll take one of the spares.”

“You don’t have to do that. We’ve slept in the same bed before.” She just waved him off and walked over to the closet to grab her things out of it.

“Are you sure that’s ok?” He stepped aside as she pulled open the doors.

“Yea, of course.” She was too tired to think about the implications of sleeping in the same bed with him again. They’d done it before and he controlled himself then, so there was nothing to worry about now. Besides, that bed was so big she could fit her entire family in it and she’d still have room to roll around.

The rest of the evening was normal and domestic, but it still felt odd to brush her teeth while looking at a gold-trimmed mirror and touching a gold-plated sink. They awkwardly settled on either side of the bed and shut out the lights, both too exhausted from the flight to want to do anything else besides sleeping. The bed was very comfortable, but it was always hard for her to sleep in a new bed for the first time. She ended up tossing and turning as she tried to relax, internally hoping she wouldn’t keep him up.

“Hey?” She finally asked after a few minutes when she’d given up on trying to get the pillow just right.

“Hey.”

Now was probably not a good time to talk about this, but it had been on her mind for a few weeks. Now that they were getting closer again, especially now that they were sleeping in the same bed and would be for the next few days, he should probably know. “Since we’re being honest about everything, there’s something I want to say. It’s not bad, but I just want to be open.”

“Ok?”

“I started talking to Aang again, after we broke it off. We’re friends, nothing more.”

He stayed silent. It was hard to tell his mood in the dark room, so she quietly counted to thirty before speaking up again.

“Are you mad?”

She glanced over to gauge his reaction. The dim light drifting in from the window illuminated the sour look on his face as he stared at the ceiling, wide awake. “No.”

She frowned. Clearly he wasn’t happy, but neither of them were in the mood to fight about it. If he was going to be pissy about it, then she could sleep somewhere else. For God’s sake, this place had three bedrooms. She angrily threw back the coverlets on her side of the bed and sat up.

“Wait.” He reached over and lightly grabbed her arm, just above the elbow, preventing her from leaving. That was the first time he’d touched her in months. It wasn’t harsh like when he’d grabbed her and tried to get her away from Jet, it was just enough force to let her know he didn’t want her to go. Instead of wrenching herself free, which she easily could have done, she let him speak as he continued to stare upwards.

“I know I can get jealous, and that you don’t like it. I don’t like it either; it’s something I’m trying to work on. I’m not mad at you or him. Just let me sleep it off and I’ll feel better about it in the morning.”

With that he let her arm free, lightly tracing his thumb downward as he did so. He rolled over onto his side to face away from her, so that must have been the end of the conversation. Exhaling and rubbing her eyes, she crawled back under the blankets and did the same. She didn’t know if staying here and sleeping like this in the massive bed was worse or better than sleeping alone. It made her feel more alone, at least it did now. Maybe coming here while they were still sort of weird with each other wasn't a good idea. Then again, she'd probably feel better about it in the morning after she'd slept. After a half an hour of trying to get comfortable, now being too afraid to move, the jetlag finally kicked in and knocked her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going for a distinctly Donald Trump vibe for Ozai, if you couldn't already tell. Their private jet is actually Trump's private jet (yes, even the thing with the golden seat buckles), which you see a tour of here if you're interested:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZq3iCn2y74
> 
> The hotel I modeled after The Plaza in NYC, which is ranked among the top 10 for most expensive hotel room in the world. You can take a virtual tour of it here:  
> https://www.theplazany.com/rooms-and-suites/royal-suite-three-bedroom/
> 
> I've been itching to write the next chapter for forever so hopefully it won't take me too long to push out, but no guarantees. There's only like, five more chapters left after this one. I can't believe it's nearly over!
> 
> -nein


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, sorry this one took a while to push out. I'll start getting regular again soon, I promise. But I think this is the chapter you guys have been wanting to read for a while now, so here it is!
> 
> We are gonna be talking about Ozai again, so TW for abuse.

He could never sleep late anymore, it seemed. At 6:00 am sharp, before the sun had barely risen, he was wide awake. Katara was still out of course; she always slept later than he did. As quietly as he could, he slipped out from underneath the covers and went about his business. 

About an hour later, he’d dressed and ordered them breakfast. He wanted to do something nice for her to make up for being a jerk the night before, so he ordered everything he thought she would like and had it sent up the dining room. It all arrived while she was still passed out; he told the servers to be as quiet as possible when they set it all out. Figuring it was better to wait until she got up, he sat himself down at the far end of the table and ate what he wanted from the feast.

“Hey.” She walked into the dining room not long after, still bleary eyed from sleep. Upon seeing the nearly full table, she raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms, still standing herself in the doorway.

“Hey.” He responded, putting down his knife and fork. “I just wanna say sorry about last night. I was tired, we’d been travelling all day, and this place sort of makes me anxious. So…” he gestured to the food in front of him.

“So you bought enough food to feed an army?”

“I got hungry, but I didn’t want to wake you up to see what you wanted, and I figured you’d want to try stuff anyway.”

She gave him a coy smile, her eyes darting to the pile of pastries. “I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t know what half of these are.”

“They’re good.” He assured her when she walked over and reached for one of the raspberry, ricotta, and apricot scones. “All of the stuff is made every morning but a lot of the fruit is imported, because, you know, it’s an island.”

“I’ll trust you.” She took a bite out of it and seemed satisfied. She leaned herself against the side of the table, not quite determined to pick a spot to sit and eat yet, still mulling everything over.

“How’d you sleep?” He asked to break the silence.

“Ok.” She shoved a massive amount of scone in her mouth, clearly enjoying the taste as it muffled her voice. “Once I got settled in, I was out.”

“Took me a bit, too.” He admitted and picked up some food for himself. “Not because I was mad. Because of the travel.”

She nodded and swallowed, making a grab for another sweet. “These are really good.”

“Whatever you want, I can get more. My dad’s the one paying, not me.”

“You’ve panic-ordered enough food for today.” She finally decided to take a seat a few chairs down from him. “There’s already enough here to end world hunger. But thank you; this is really sweet.”

Something swelled inside his stomach when said that and flashed him little smile. Instead of letting her see him flush, he pulled out his phone instead.

“Forgot to tell my uncle we didn’t die in a plane crash.” He managed to mumble a reasonable excuse which wasn’t entirely untrue, but it saved him for the time being.

“Oh, me too.” She pulled out her phone and did the same, except she was probably referring to her friends instead of her uncle. Did she even have an uncle? He’d never really asked; he’d never really been interested in getting to know her family since that wasn’t where their relationship was originally headed. Would it be weird if he asked about her family? Did her family even know that she was here? Oh God, what would they think if she was here with her ex going to a wedding in a different country?

“What do you do for fun here?” She asked as she set her phone down on the table, and he was very thankful for the change in topic.

“Nothing.” He was half-joking, but it was the truth. He was planning on avoiding going outside when he could, not wanting to encounter anyone he knew before he had to.

“Come on.” She chided and picked over the fruit. “You’re telling me there’s nothing to do in this entire city? Where would you take a tourist that’s never been here before?”

“Well, there’s the old royal palace. You can take tours there and see where the old Fire Lords used to live. Next to the palace is the royal gardens; they’re really nice. There’s an art museum that added a new wing last February that I haven’t seen yet. Just down the road there’s a beach, but it…”

When he finally looked up from his phone at her, she was beaming at him like a child on Christmas morning.

“What?” He set his phone down on the table, confused at how her mood changed that quickly.

“It all sounds like so much fun!” She burst out, clasping her hands together. “I wanna do everything!”

They did, or as much of it as they could get to in one day. They started from the top, touring the old castle. Almost everyone who lived here had been inside so it was nothing new to him, but she loved looking at the old architecture and admired the opulence. She bought her brother a stupid toy that was meant for little children at the gift shop, because according to her, he would love it. The more she spoke of her brother the more he sounded like an idiot, but he wasn’t going to say anything and ruin her fun. The gardens were next; he hadn’t been in years. He always used to come here with his mother, and her death gave it a bitter taste in his mouth. With her here, it gave the place a new light. She liked seeing the hundreds of different species of orchid that all looked the same to him and the weird exotic plants from God knows where that smelled like dirt.

The place he always went with his mother was the pond in the very center to feed the ducks, and that’s where they went for lunch. Of course that wasn’t simple either; she scolded him when he was about to buy bread from the little shop to feed them.

“It’s not good for them!” She protested, trying to take it out of his hands. “You’re not supposed to feed them bread.”

“I did this literally all the time as a child,” he rolled her eyes and tried valiantly to fight back, “they like eating bread.”

“Yea,” she reached around him and picked up a little container of grapes, “but they’ll like these better.”

She always had to be right; the ducks did like grapes. She cut them in half in her hand, and within a few minutes every single duck in the pond had found them and were quacking for more. One of the mothers even brought over her babies, and Katara ran back to the shop to grab more food for them while he watched ducklings awkwardly waddle around in search of lunch from beneath the shade of a willow tree.

The art museum was as fun as going to her roommates exhibit was. She didn’t have much of an eye for it but enjoyed it nonetheless; they settled on making fun of the odd posing in the sculptures, the interesting color choices in the modern paintings, and a brief stint in the very modern and very odd digital art section they’d recently installed. 

He’d mentioned at some point during the day that there was a private rooftop pool at the hotel, and on a whim she decided they should have dinner up there. He made a quick call and had it reserved while she looked through the dinner menu. She told him she’d ordered room service before, they could never afford it, so he told her to get whatever she wanted and however much of it she wanted. That of course led to a long discussion about what was best here, what they caught and sourced locally, and she couldn’t believe that he’d never tried this or didn’t eat that. He said he’d order her all of them and she could taste things here and there, but she didn’t want a repeat of breakfast. The ordeal ended by him telling her to close her eyes and pick a number; he mentally numbered the dishes she’d been contemplating, and the number she selected was the one he ordered for her. He'd learned that trick years ago from having to deal with Ty Lee, who did exactly the same thing; Azula and he had to invent it so they could order within in an hour of whatever restaurant they took her to.

She didn’t take nearly as long to change into her swimsuit and take the short elevator trip up to the top floor. She quickly tied her hair up so it wouldn’t get wet and jumped in. The chill didn’t seem to bother her, and she was more awestruck from the view out over the city inside the pool than anything. The edge of the pool led straight up to the side of the building, and you could see the entire city spanning out over the mountainside, save for the portion inside the caldera itself.

He was trying very hard to not notice that she was wearing a bikini and keep his eyes on the city like she was. When the waiter finally brought up her food, he insisted on taking it instead of her; from the angle the waiter was standing at above the pool, he would have seen far too much. The staff here are paid enough not to gawk, but he didn’t want any excuse to have to get someone fired.

“I knew you were rich,” she took another bite of her filet, sitting on the pool stair adjacent to him as they dined, “but I didn’t know you had food literally served to you on a silver platter.”

“You didn’t notice it at breakfast?”

“No,” she raised an eyebrow and smiled as she chewed. “I guess I was still too tired. Or maybe there was so much food, I didn’t notice what it was sitting on.”

“We didn’t get to everything on the list.” He was hoping she wasn’t to disappointed. They had only a few precious days here, and it would be over far too soon.

“We still have tomorrow, right?” She looked up from her plate. “You can watch me hurt myself when I try to learn how to surf tomorrow.”

He grinned at the image of her doing just that. “Yea, we still have tomorrow. You’d better not drown; we still have a wedding to go to.”

“I’m not gonna drown.” She objected. “Do you have any faith in me at all?”

“No.” He was teasing, but she tossed him a rather petulant glare and cocked her head. “Sorry.” He quickly decided to tone it down and stuffed more food in his mouth.

“I know you were just joking.” Her face softened. “You don’t have to apologize for everything.”

He unceremoniously choked down the oversized portion he’d put in his mouth and looked out over the city again. “I just don’t want you to be mad at me.” 

“I’m not mad at you.” From the way that she said it he felt like she was talking about more than his comment, but he didn’t want to press her any further and continued with dinner.

“Can I ask you something?” She paused eating once again and looked over to him.

“Shoot.”

She put down her fork and played with a loose curl that had come out of her bun. “Did you mean everything you said, when I was sick?”

“Of course I did.”

She sighed and looked out over the city. “It’s just… well, it hurt. It really hurt when you said you wanted more and then broke it off right after. I felt like you didn’t really mean it. And I know why you did, I can see that now, but—”

“Don’t.” He said it a little harsher than he wanted to, but her head snapped back around to look at him. “What I did was terrible. I felt terrible, and I still do. I panicked when I should have been honest with you, and that’s something I’m going to have to live with. I’m just happy we can be friends again.”

That seemed to put her a little more at ease; she set her plate down on the tile and hugged her legs to her chest, putting her chin on her knees.

“I still mean it.” The words seemed to spill out of his mouth without any warning. It was probably really stupid to bring it up now, when she was clearly very unsure about all of this. “What I said, back then. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had this much fun here, or with someone else.”

She bit her lip and hugged her legs a little tighter. Just when he was worried that he’d upset her, she quietly spoke again.

“Me too.” Her voice was very soft, almost inaudible over the noise of the city below. “And I think I might be ready to forgive you.”

All they could manage to do was look at each other for a long time. She tilted her head to face him, resting her cheek on her knees. He set his plate down next to hers, and she caught his hand as it lingered on the concrete. With a little smile, she laced her fingers in between his. He couldn’t believe this was happening again; he’d half suspected she might be thinking this when she decided to come, but he hadn’t wanted to press his luck. She scooted a little closer, sitting adjacent to him now on the steps of the pool. He broke his contact with her hand, putting an arm behind her back instead as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

“This view is beautiful.” She said quietly, looking out over the city again.

“Yea, it is.”

She removed her gaze from the city, turning her head to look at him. She was very, very close now. He’d almost forgotten what incredibly pretty eyes she had. Almost. It had been a long time since he’d been close enough to appreciate them. Who else in the world had eyes like that? The dappled light coming from the water they were sitting in made them look even prettier, if that was even possible. Before he knew what she was doing, she tilted her chin upward, and her lips met his own.

It was barely a kiss, really; it was more of two hesitant people brushing their lips together. The gentleness of it made his face feel like it was on fire. He didn’t dare move an inch; he didn’t want to overstep his bounds and ruin this fragile moment between them.

He let her be the one in control. She gently reached a hand upward and traced his features with her fingers, running along his nose, his lips, down to his jaw. It felt intoxicating after being separated from her so long, he couldn’t help himself as he closed his eyes, sighed, and leaned into her hand. It almost hurt when she took it away, but she quickly replaced the feeling of emptiness with a much more certain kiss. It took him by surprise, and it surprised him even further when she didn’t break away. She went from coy to assured to assertive, scooting herself closer by his side and cupping his face to kiss him deeper.

Eventually she got downright aggressive, or as aggressive as she could get. She pulled away for a second, getting up from her seat next to him, and straddled his lap before kissing him again. He finally felt like he was allowed to touch her now; he put his hands around her waist to pull her a little closer, her arms folding around his neck. He felt like his heart was going to crack his ribs and beat out of his chest. The only thing he could hear was the sound of blood rushing in his ears, and he hoped to God she couldn’t hear it too. She wiggled a little further, and without even thinking he pulled her so close that he couldn’t help but notice she was wearing practically nothing.

She was starting to get impatient; he loved it when she started getting impatient. She wanted more, kissing him deeper and trying to get even closer, but he knew what she really wanted. He kissed down her cheek, her neck, her collarbone, before slowly removing a hand from around her waist to pull down her swimsuit top and kiss her there. The noise she made was indescribable, a cracked moan somewhere between a cry and a sigh, and she arched her torso upward so he could have a better angle. He slipped another hand downward between her legs just to tease her. He gently brushed along the outside of her bikini trunks with his thumb, and she nearly collapsed onto him. He bit down on her nipple just slightly before touching her again; adoring the feeling of her melting into him. 

He contemplated this glorious situation for a brief moment, before deciding that what they really needed was a change of scenery.

He removed his face from her breast and his hand from between her legs. “Get off.”

“Oh, uh, ok.” She sounded thoroughly dejected, but she obliged.

“We’re going downstairs, now.” He got up out of the water and sped toward the elevator.

She raised her eyebrows before slowly following behind, her face still beautifully flushed. “Oh.” She pointed toward their dishes and adjusted her top with her other hand. “What about the—”

“Leave it.” The damn elevator wouldn’t come fast enough; it came right when she finally stood by his side. He was trying to save it for their room, but he couldn’t fucking take it anymore when he watched her saunter over to the other side of the elevator to press the button for their floor. She had just enough time to turn around before he pressed her up back against the wall, causing all the buttons to light up, at the same time grabbing her leg and wrapping it around his waist. She made a soft grunt, and he kissed her so hard his lips hurt. There was just enough time to nibble her neck before the door dinged and opened to their floor.

He grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her onto his shoulder, causing her to let out a little squeal in the process. Her chest was now against his back, and her waist was held in place by his left hand.

“Zuko!” She tried to steady herself as he walked them toward the room. “Please put me down.”

“No.”

She squirmed, and he readjusted her so she fit more comfortably underneath his arm. The other hand held the room key and unlocked the door.

“Can you at least let my dry off first? I don’t wanna sleep in a wet bed.”

He couldn’t help chuckle like the idiot he was. “That’s happening either way.”

He heard her groan and weakly smack his back with her fist. “You’re an ass.”

He turned his head and kissed the side of hers. “I’ve been told.”

She squirmed a little more to try and free herself, but he held her waist tighter before spilling her out onto the bed. He left her sift backward just slightly before crawling onto her; she was done complaining now. When she bit his lip he couldn’t help but groan, and within a few minutes he quickly ripped off the rest of her scant clothing.

“God I fucking missed you.” He told her while removing the rest of his. “I missed everything about you, but I really missed this.”

He grabbed the back of her knees and pulled them onto his shoulders. He had to try and slow himself down and not get carried away; it had been a while, he wanted to savor this. Before he did anything, he ran his hands up and down her legs, pausing right when she made that incredible face she always made when he was about to touch something important. When she looked like she couldn’t take it anymore, he got fully on top and went in slowly.

He’d almost forgotten all of those perfect little noises she made just for him. Or the feeling of her hands on the back of his neck as they ran through his hair. He’d had make-up sex before; he’d had it all the time with Mai. But he’d never really understood the phrase ‘fuck her like you miss her’ until now. He didn’t want it to be rough or quick; the only thing that mattered was being as deep as he could go and to have her right there beneath him. That was where she belonged: beneath him, on silk sheets, in the most expensive hotel room in the city. 

He kept himself there for a long time after it was finished. If he pulled out then it was over, and he didn’t want it to be over, he just wanted to stay like this for the rest of his life. Fuck the wedding and everything else, he just wanted to stay right here. He only moved when she tapped him and asked him politely to get off.

“You don’t have to keep doing that, you know.” She told him as he sat down on her left side.

He turned to face her, genuinely confused. “Do what?”

She rolled her eyes as she continued to tease as she lay on her side. “You always hide your little birthmark from me.” She pointed to his face. “I think it’s cute.”

He froze. Was that what she thought it was this entire time? He supposed it wasn’t really something you’d ask someone about, and she was too nice to do that to begin with.

“It’s not a birthmark.” He solemnly corrected, slowly getting up to sit at the edge of the bed. How was he going to explain this one? That was something he’d tried very hard, and very successfully, to bury deeply in the recesses of his mind and not think about. It was something that, after years of drinking and smoking to kill the brain cells he buried that memory in, he’d finally forgotten most of. Even if it was always on his face, it was something he could ignore. He got used to it being there, it was just what his face looked like now. Talking about his father was one thing, but that… that was on a different level.

He heard the blankets rustle as she sat up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his stomach, hugging him from behind.

“Hey.” She kissed where the tattoo was on his back before resting her chin on his shoulder. “If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s ok. But if you do, then that’s what I’m here for.”

He didn’t really know what to say. Like everything else, he really didn’t want to talk about it, but she was being so patient about it. She’d been so sweet and understanding and patient about all of this; what more could he ask for? He sighed and hung his head lower, rubbing his eyes as he tried to figure out what to do.

“Come here.” Her voice was soft and pleading as she pulled him a little tighter. He resigned himself to giving into her; when he turned around, she repositioned him close to her once again. She pulled him into her arms, hugging him as she laid face up on her chest. His head was just below her chin, and her legs were spread around him. She slowly ran her fingers along his cheeks and down to his neck, sometimes pressing more forcefully to try and relieve the stress, while sometimes making her touch so feather light it felt like she was barely touching him at all.

“My dad never liked it when I went into his office.” He swallowed as her hands moved down to his shoulders. “He didn’t like getting interrupted when he was working, but I still did it anyway. I don’t really remember why it happened, or how it happened, but I know that I went in there and he got upset. He put out a cigar on my face.”

“That’s terrible.” She continued to gently run her hands down his body, her thumbs in unison pressing down gently into the muscle that connected his neck to his shoulders.

“It wasn’t the first time. I had other scars, but I think most of them are gone now.” He did a quick check of himself. The one between the webbing of his thumb and index finger was just a little crescent now, barely visible. The one on the inside of his bicep was faded beyond recognition as well. It was just the one on his face that wouldn’t seem to fully heal. “The only thing I remember about that day was what happened afterward. My mom freaked out and took me to the hospital, and I was so scared, and I wouldn’t stop crying. I usually didn’t go and get them looked at, my mom just kind of cleaned it herself and put a band-aid on it. I was scared that they were going to think I was a bad kid, especially since it was on my face so I couldn’t hide it. That’s what I thought it meant; I didn’t really understand.”

“If I would have known…I’m so sorry I brought it up.”

“It’s ok. You didn’t know.”

“Can I ask how old you were when it happened?”

“I was ten. After that, he stopped doing it.”

“No ten-year-old deserves to go through that. Whatever you did, you didn’t deserve it.”

“I know.” Neither of them said anything after that. He felt almost numb except for the light caress of her fingers as they traced down from his neck to his shoulders and down his arms, then back upward again. From how intimately she was touching him he felt like this should turn him on, but it lulled him into relaxation instead. He really could stay like this forever, sitting in bed with her. He wanted this every time something in his life went wrong, or whenever he had to think about his past. He wanted every day to be like today had gone, for the rest of his life.

Oh shit. He was in love with Katara.

It was probably not a good idea to tell her that right now, since they’d just gotten back together, and he’d just told her about how his dad abused him. But he’d keep that revelation safe in the back of his mind. That was something he wanted to remember.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I love being a writer. It's fun to mess with your characters for the sake of drama.

She slept infinitely better the second night than the first. She couldn’t even remember when she dozed off; sometime after they talked about his father, and after he calmed down enough to cuddle. Waking this morning was also much more pleasant; for the first time ever, she woke up with his arm wrapped around the curve of her waist. He always woke before she did, and he never laid around in bed after he got up; she always seemed to find men who were morning people. The hand resting on her stomach moved slightly, his thumb tracing the outlines of her belly, and she heard him sigh onto her neck.

“You’re awake.” His voice sounded husky, lower and gruffer than normal; he must have just woken up himself. He traced his lips along her neck, stopping just below her ear to kiss her, and any well-formed thoughts she’d been trying to have evaporated. She wasn’t awake yet, her mind still hazy with sleep, but that was no matter. This was better than being awake; the blurred thoughts, only conscious of his gentle touch and the warmth of his body against her own. If you looked up comfort in the dictionary, it would show a picture of this.

The hand on her stomach pulled her closer and the lips on her neck kissed her right on the sensitive spot at the base of her jaw, pulling a deep sigh out from her throat. The hand left her stomach and traced the outline of her body, languidly tracing from her shoulders to just beneath her breast to the curve of her hips.

“God, I can’t believe I was so impatient that I never waited until you woke up.” He continued trailing little kisses along her neck, and she savored the heat of his breath on her skin as he talked to her. “I think I love this as much as fucking you.”

She felt her face getting warm just from the way he said fucking. Something had changed in him since the last time they’d done this. It was probably because they were finally being intimate after confessing feelings for one another, or maybe it was because he talked to her about his past. Either way, they were closer than before, and that seemed to make all the difference to him, and it wasn't just this morning. The way he’d kept her pinned for what must have been minutes after things were finished last night seemed out of character. When he was done, he was done, and that was that. He was usually a pragmatic person when it came to matters like that, but whatever changed in him had make him much more affectionate.

Unfortunately for him, the rest of her consciousness had started to wake up, and her body reminded her that she needed to use the bathroom. She slowly detangled herself from him, rubbing her eyes to force herself awake, before crawling across the strewn covers and toward the edge of the massive bed.

“I’m really stiff from all that walking we did yesterday.” She remarked as she put a little weight onto the ball of her foot.

“Come back to bed, then.” He absentmindedly trailed a finger down the ridge of her spine, making her turn her head back around to give him her attention.

“I can’t stay in bed all day.”

“Yes you can.”

The honey in his voice made it very tempting to crawl back into bed and agree with him, but the soreness in her thighs said otherwise. “Honestly, I’m a little sore from last night too, I need a break.”

His placid expression contorted into one of fear. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No,” she quickly shook her head and assured him. “Not like that. It was nice. I just need some time to recover.”

He shifted slightly, propping himself up on a pillow. “We have a spa downstairs. You should get a massage. Just charge it to the room.”

“Are you sure that’s ok?”

“I don’t really care; my dad’s paying, not me. Just walk down and see if they have any openings; they probably will. I think this hotel gives this suite a free massage anyway, but that might be one of the other hotels my dad owns.”

She almost rolled her eyes at the way he casually mentioned his family’s properties. “Do you want to come down with me?”

“Nah, I’m staying in bed; you go without me. You want me to order you breakfast while you’re gone.”

“Sure.”

“Ok, what do you want?”

“I don’t know.”

“Oh my God,” he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “Why are girls like this?”

“Hey, I just woke up a few minutes ago.” She tried to defend herself. “Give me a second to think about it.”

“You said that yesterday at dinner and it took you twenty minutes before I had to pick something for you.” 

She groaned in annoyance and debated throwing a pillow at him. “Get me blueberry pancakes, and fruit, and some more of those little pastries from yesterday. I never really got to finish dinner last night, I’m starving.”

He removed the covers around his chest and sat up fully, rubbing his eyes. “Yea, sorry about that.”

“Are you apologizing for having sex with me?”

He smirked. “No, I’m apologizing that you didn’t get to finish the dinner you were too indecisive to pick out for yourself.”

“That’s rich coming from the guy who was too indecisive to pick out one thing to order yesterday so he ordered the whole damn buffet.”

“I wasn’t being indecisive, I was being nice, and you liked it.”

“You’re ok at best.”

He set his jaw. “If you hadn’t already told me no, I’d make you regret saying that.” The sudden change in his tone and their past experience made her believe him. Instead of teasing him any further, she gave him a kiss and found a plush robe stowed away in the bathroom before heading downstairs to find the spa.

* * *

Life was starting to pick up, it seemed. He had a girlfriend that he just got back together with, he wasn’t having a terrible time in the city, and he was in love. He thought he’d been in love with Mai, and he’d even told her he was, but he felt so different now than before. He felt...lighter, like the realization itself had lifted a weight off of his shoulders. Being in love with Mai felt like something he needed to do so that she didn’t break up with him, and something he needed to say so they’d get back together. She’d never cared enough to try and be understanding or comforting; her idea of being comforting was having sex until you passed out. 

He really needed to stop thinking about Mai, but she was the only thing he could compare this to. They’d dated off and on for years, and he’d never felt anything close to this for her. Besides, he shouldn’t be thinking about being in love with Katara too hard; telling your girlfriend of ten hours that you love her is probably not a good idea. He’d get around to telling her eventually, but he'd never had to think about proper timing before. He heard a knock on the door about an hour after she’d left and after he’d showered, ordered and received breakfast, and gotten ready. She must have forgotten to bring the keycard down with her. Not even thinking twice about it, he opened the door.

Instead of long, curly hair and blue eyes greeting him, it was brown eyes and black hair tied into two buns. “Hello, Zuko.”

All of the happiness he had stored up this morning was sucked out. “Hello, Mai.” 

She quickly pushed her way past him and into the entryway, surveying it as she did so, her black platform boots making a heavy clonking noise against the hardwood. She looked the same as always: black and red. Black hair, makeup, nails, and boots; red jumpsuit and handbag. For someone who hated monotony, she was always a creature of habit.

“I forgot how garish this room was.” She sardonically commented as she ran a black fingernail along the cerulean walls of the hallway. “Did they restyle it and make it uglier?”

“What are you doing here?” He quickly closed the door and stood on the other side of it, trying to keep his distance.

“Oh, I was just in the neighborhood, figured I’d stop by.” She leaned herself against the table in the center of the circular main room. “And maybe, because I missed you.”

“Mai, I brought someone else here with me.” He crossed his arms and scowled. “You need to leave.”

“It’s funny,” she purred as she walked back over to him, “because you told Ty Lee you weren’t going to. And I don’t see anybody else in here with you.” Shit, he forgot to tell Ty Lee that he was bringing someone after all. He knew she wouldn't mind, but this may have been avoided if he hadn't been so stupid and forgot. She was standing right in front him now, just inches away. 

“I got a new piercing.” She slyly informed him as she opened her mouth and flicked the tip of her tongue to the roof of her mouth. Sure enough, there was a curved silver barbell through the webbing underneath her tongue. “Don’t tell my parents.” Mai never smiled, but the corner of her black lips curved upward as she teased him. If he ever told her parents where all of her piercings were, he would probably get smacked. 

A year ago, that would have driven him crazy, all of this would have. She knew he loved her black lipstick; every time they made up he was covered in it. He loved it when she teased him about whatever piercing she was trying to keep secret, but that she was so eager to show him. And now, he felt nothing. Mai was demanding; she always wanted more, harder, faster. She wore him out and left him exhausted and still wanted more. Katara was satisfying; she had a limit that he could work towards that didn’t tax him. She wanted more of an emotional connection besides the sex; Mai never liked to talk about feelings. And, of course, Mai was very in the moment. The only reason she cared enough to try and make up was because he was back around, and she was bored. They’d been through this a dozen times before.

She brought a black fingernail up toward his face. “Do you wanna break in the bed again?”

“No.”

“Don’t be like that.” Before she could trace her nail across his face, he grabbed her wrist and moved her hand aside.

The slight upward curl in the corner of her lip faded into a straight line, her eyebrows raising slightly above their normal resting position. “You’re serious.”

“You’re making an ass of yourself. You need to go.”

“Oh, I’m the ass?” The hand he threw aside went against her hip. “Have you ever met yourself?”

“Is that why you broke up with me?” He sneered back at her. His patience for this conversation was starting to wear very thin.

“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes, refusing to let him push her into feeling any emotion besides mild annoyance. “As soon as you and daddy got in a fight, you had a meltdown and stormed off to Ba Sing Se. What did you expect me to do?”

Leave it to Mai to go for the throat. “Get out.”

“Fine.” She shot him a nasty look and threw open the door, and he froze a second time. Katara picked the absolute worst time to come back up to their room, and the look of surprise on her face surely matched his own. Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline as she surveyed Mai over, and Mai let out a little huff before shoving past her and continuing on her way.

Her eyes trailed Mai, watching her as she walked down the hallway, before returning to him with a glare. He’d managed to go twenty-three years without someone murdering him, which was quite a feat considering what he’d been through and who he picked fights with. They say looks can kill, but he felt that scowl was going to vaporize him on the spot. He knew life had been going too good lately; of course everything had to come crashing down right in front of him.

“Katara,” he desperately tried to remain calm, “that was not what it looked like.”

She continued to stare at him for a long time, not moving from just inside the doorway. She pulled her cotton robe a little tighter around herself, and he could see from here that her knuckles were turning as white as the robe.

“I’m trying very hard to believe you.” Her tone said otherwise. “But I have to ask: is that why you were trying to get me out of the room this morning?”

“No.” He shook his head. “No, absolutely not. I had no idea she was coming here, she just showed up.”

“Then why’d you open the door?” She slowly advanced further into the entry hallway.

“I didn’t think, I… I just assumed it was you.”

“So what should I assume just happened here? Your ex shows up in our room while I was gone for an hour and I should assume that you were, what, just talking?”

“I was trying to get her to leave, I swear, she just showed up… wait, how do you know who she is?”

“I’m not stupid, Zuko.” He gave her confused look before she elaborated. “I looked you up when you gave me your real name and saw pictures of her everywhere.”

“I’m not lying to you.” He tried to stand his ground as much as he could, but he knew there was very little that he could do. “I know you’re upset but go look at the bedroom. It’s exactly the way you left it. Check all of them, I don’t care, check my phone if you want to. She came here five minutes ago, asked to get back together, and I told her to fuck off. That’s the truth.”

She stalked past him and gave the place a once-over. All of the beds were how she’d left them, all his clothes were where they’d been. She looked in every room once and then again; it got to the point where he was pretty sure she was pacing because she was angry. 

“Ok.” She puts a hand on her forehead and massaged it as she sat down at the dining room table. “I think I believe you.”

“I’m really sorry about her.” He sat on the other side of the table from her to give her room. “I swear to God, nothing happened between us.”

“You probably think I’m being really hypocritical right now, don’t you?”

“No. If you weren’t at least a little upset about my ex-girlfriend showing up in our hotel room while you were gone, that would be a little weird.”

She sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry I freaked out, I—”

“No, seriously.” He cut her off. “You don’t need to apologize. It’s fine. Mai should be the one apologizing to you; not that she would, but…”

She gave him a weak smile. “I’m sorry I yelled.”

“It’s ok. God, this is exactly why I didn’t want to come back here. I knew they wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“I guess I didn’t even think that you probably wouldn’t want to see your ex-girlfriend again.” She started to look more sympathetic. “Honestly, she was the one person I wanted to see the least, but I was kind of expecting her to show up eventually.”

“Why her?”

“Honestly…it’s not that I’m scared of her, or that I’m jealous…but when I first found out about everything, who you really were and who she was, it made me feel a little weird.” She looked down and started playing with the tie around the robe, picking out some stray pieces of fuzz. “It sounds stupid and really shallow, but you went from dating a rich, famous model to me. I don’t know.”

“Every rich girl models; she’s not unique. They all get plastic surgery at sixteen to look decent, and they all look the fucking same because of it. Mai does it because it’s what’s expected of her. She doesn’t even like it; fuck, Mai doesn’t like anything. The only reason she got along with me for so long was because I made her less bored than she usually was. Don’t let her get to you.”

Her lip twitched like she was trying to hide a smile, but she still kept her eyes downward. “Thanks.”

“I never told Mai about my scar.” He admitted. “You’re the only person outside of my family that knows.”

She looked back up at him. “I shouldn’t even know about it; the only reason I know was because I brought it up and I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I think it’s good that you know, to be honest. It’s hard to talk about, but honestly, I want you to know. You already know everything else.”

She gave him a half-smile and stopped her nervous picking. “How about we just start fresh again? Let’s pretend like we never broke up to begin with and that Mai never showed up and that your dad doesn’t exist. Let’s just be a couple and not let anything get in the way.”

Now it was his turn to try and hide an awkward smile. “I think I’d like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, only two more chapters to go after this! I will be doing an epilogue after the end, but I'm starting to get sad that it's ending. Next week is the wedding so I hope ya'll are ready, and that chapter will be longer than this one, I promise.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh dang this took forever to write. Life really got in the way over the past few weeks, so my sincerest apologies. I also seem to give myself the longest chapters to write when I'm at my busiest. But hey, it's here now, and that's all that matters.
> 
> Minor TW for racism in this one because rich people be racist. I also end up switching the POV back and forth a lot in this chapter too, which I don't usually like to do, but there were a lot of little elements I wanted to include.

He made sure after the incident to tell Ty Lee to set out that extra chair she mentioned. She didn’t respond; she was probably busy with a million other things with the wedding less than twenty-four hours away, but he could at least count on Mai to pass the message on for him.

The wedding didn’t start until two, so they had ample time to wake up at a reasonable hour, eat something, and get ready. He left her alone in the master bathroom to do whatever she needed; he remembered when he’d dated Mai that she always needed privacy and space to put on her makeup and do her hair properly. Girls didn’t like to get interrupted or bumped while they were working on their appearance, and he’d been yelled at more than once for doing just that. He settled on using one of the spares for himself, which took barely any time at all. He realized he forgot his watch in the bedroom, so he let himself have a peek at her getting ready in the bathroom as he went to collect it.

He had to stop and stare; she looked incredible. The blue hue of her strapless ballgown was pale, but it matched the lighter flecks of blue in her eyes. He’d told her the wedding would be nature-themed; the elegant flower and leaf embellishments on the bodice and the upper portion of the skirt would satisfy that requirement. Her brown curls were piled on top of her head in a messy bun, getting it off her face so she could do her makeup. She was leaned over the sink, her face an inch from the mirror, her eyes wide and eyebrows arched as she did her eyes.

“Hey.” She barely looked away from the mirror when she spoke to him. “Can you zip me up?”

He finally managed to pick up the watch he’d come in for and fastened it to his wrist before walking into the bathroom instead of staring at her like an idiot.

“What are you wearing?” He found the zipper in the back, and at his touch she straightened her back.

“A dress.” She responded simply, continuing with her mascara.

“What brand, I mean.”

“Paolo Sebastian.”

He paused. “Katara, that’s not a brand. That’s a couture label.”

“Oh.” She put down the mascara wand onto the edge of the sink. “Toph told me her parents made her wear it a few years back when she had to go to some fancy party and they never got rid of it. I guess I shouldn’t have done the alterations myself if it’s that expensive.”

“You altered it yourself?”

She shrugged. “It wasn’t hard. I didn’t have the time to take it to a professional anyway, or the money.”

“You did a fantastic job. You can’t even tell.” He ran his hands along the seams in the back before slipping a finger around the back of her white gold necklace. “Where did you get this?”

She reached a hand up and touched the bezel. “This was my mothers. Dad couldn’t afford diamond jewelry, that’s why it’s a sapphire.”

“I’m sorry.” He let go of it and let it fall back onto her neck but kept the hand where it was. He looked at her in the mirror, noticing how well it fell along the neckline of her dress. “You should wear it more.”

“I’ve always been scared I’ll lose it or that it’ll get stolen or something. It’s the only thing I have left of her, and it’s probably the nicest thing I own.”

“You look really good.” The hand on her neck traced down the ridges on her spine, down past the zipper, and toward the edge of the bodice.

Her eyes watched his hand moving toward her waist through the mirror. “We’re going to be late.”

“When you’re rich, you get to be fashionably late.” Her eyes slowly closed as he hiked up the end of the skirts on the dress and found the skin underneath. He knew better than to undo the hard work she’d put into her hair and makeup, so for the moment he just stood very close behind her and ran his hand along her waist underneath the dress.

“I would love to continue this,” she looked at him through the mirror again, “but I haven’t even started on my hair yet and it’s nearly one. Can I take a rain check, please?”

He slowly reached down and kissed the crook of her neck. “I’m not very patient, but I can wait.” He reluctantly pulled his hand away and let her finish, slightly disappointed but ultimately understanding. He took one last look at her before she picked through her makeup bag for whatever came next after her mascara; she'd fit in perfectly.

* * *

By now, she’d nearly gotten used to the opulence and pomp, so it didn’t completely surprise her that they rode to the wedding in a limousine. Apparently, another gift that his sister managed to wriggle out of his father for him by being the perfect child. He still hadn’t received word from his father yet, but he assured her that he never went to events like this and that she wouldn't have the displeasure of meeting him. Apparently, the man barely left his penthouse unless it was to go to work or eat; the only time the king strayed away from his throne was for business trips. She didn’t bother asking why he needed such an expensive private jet if he barely left the island, let alone his home; the answer was that he was a vain man who needed the status more than the object itself.

Although the bride and groom weren’t particularly religious, they were being married in a church. She’d never been in a proper church before, and she’d never even seen one that wasn’t at least fifty years old. This one was gothic, or at least gothic-inspired to her untrained eyes and sported the ornate buttresses, high vaulted ceilings, and rainbow-colored stain glass windows featuring people and scenes from scripture that were entirely unfamiliar to her. Her people didn’t have places of worship like these ornate churches. They had sacred lands and places, but nothing with such malevolent architecture to symbolize their devotion.

Soon after they arrived and found their seats, a menagerie of different people walked down the aisle. First the groom’s parents walked down together, the husband holding his wife’s arm, seating themselves at the pew in the very front. The mother of the bride was next, taking her place next to the other couple. Next was the officiant, a priest, followed by the groom and his best man. Next came a procession of girls in identical dresses being escorted to the altar by men in identical suits.

“Those are all of her sisters.” He nodded toward the procession of bridesmaids coming down the aisle. “Her mother had trouble getting pregnant, so she took fertility medications. She ended up having identical septuplets.”

“Septuplets are really rare; they’re almost a medical anomaly.”

“There was a lot of buzz about it when they were born. I don’t really remember it since I was two, but yea. They’ve always tried to have separate hobbies and careers, so they didn’t stay part of a matched set. I’m surprised she got them all to wear the same dress.”

She watched the six women, who weren’t quite identical based on their body proportions and hair styles, walk down the aisle with their counterparts toward the massive altar. Next came the girl that came to their hotel room the day before, looking very uncomfortable with her arm slung around some smug-looking boy but very stoic in a pink dress with flowers in hand.

“That’s my sister.” Zuko pointed out the last bridesmaid in the procession who came down unescorted. She was dressed the same as the others but looked much more elegant. The way she held herself screamed snobbery; she kept her shoulders back and chin up, her feet gliding over the ground as she walked so that her shoulders didn’t bounce, not even giving the guests a passing glance. She wasn’t even smiling, keeping her face perfectly neutral. She silently made her way toward the final spot on the altar, closest to the center.

“Figures.” He mumbled quietly. “She couldn’t settle for being a bridesmaid, she had to be the maid of honor.”

“What does that mean?”

“The maid of honor helps out with the wedding planning, but they’re usually the bride’s best friend. I doubt Azula gave her much of a say.”

Next down the procession were a few children. The three girls tossed out rose petals along the aisle, while the boy held onto a box that contained the wedding rings. That was the first part about this wedding she liked; watching the little kids toddle along and giving them such a cute job seemed like a lot of fun.

Everyone stood up when the bride finally came to her own wedding. Zuko explained that she was accompanied by her father, and that it was tradition for the father to give his daughter away to the husband. The music kicked up and everyone stared at her as she walked down the aisle with her arm wrapped around her father’s. Her wedding dress was big and poufy, with large layered skirts adorned with Swarovski crystal and lace flowers that were such a pale pink they could almost have been mistaken for white, a sheer veil that billowed down to the floor with a matching floral pattern, and a train that must have been two meters long. The groom gave the bride a smile as she reached the altar, the father properly gave her away, and the wedding finally began.

It took forever. She’d been so excited to see what a proper wedding ceremony was about, but she caught herself nearly dozing off a few times. No one seemed to want to actually get the bride and groom married. Each of the bridesmaids prepared some poem or recited a quote from a book, then the pastor did the same, then the bride and groom had to give a speech about how much they loved each other. Between the long train of people arriving at the altar and the grand speeches, it almost felt like everyone was stalling for as long as possible. After what must have been an hour, the little boy came up to the altar with the rings, the bride and groom said, ‘I do’ and the new couple kissed as everyone clapped and cheered that the torture of long-winded recitals about love were over.

Afterward was the reception, which she found herself desperately needing after sitting in a stuffy church for over an hour. But they couldn’t just get up and leave, oh no, there was another wait before they could leave the building. The couple filed out first, then the groomsman and bridesmaids, then everyone else was allowed to go. Once she was finally allowed outside to stretch her legs, she felt much better and much less bored. The reception itself wasn't at the church; everyone packed back into their cars like sardines and were driven up the the royal gardens by the palace that she had visited two days ago.

The food was exquisite. They weren’t served a proper sit-down meal; instead, servers flitted around the elegantly decorated garden next to the church full carrying silver trays around of finger foods, bite-sized cookies in a hundred different flavors, and champagne. The gardens were reserved and decorated just for the wedding: every blade of grass was nearly trimmed, every leaf on every topiary was pruned to the perfect shape, and every spare inch not covered by walkways or seats was decorated in bouquets of freshly cut roses. Zuko told her the little cookies that were everywhere were Ty Lee’s favorite dessert: macarons. Each was a different color and adorned beautifully: the strawberry shortcake ones had a thinly sliced strawberry on the top of the pink cookie; the vanilla ones had a splash of edible gold; the lavender and white chocolate ones had little lavender flowers pressed into them. She felt like a child at a candy store for the first time, snapping up as many as she could just to try them.

There was some mingling in the afternoon, which mostly resulted in her and Zuko chatting to themselves in a corner away from the crowd. She didn’t know anyone there and he was more than happy not speak to anyone besides her.

When evening came, dinner was different than the afternoon fare. They were seated by waiters at designated tables and were served from a menu. Zuko was surprised that they were seated with strangers instead of his sister, but he seemed thankful for it nonetheless. They made small talk with the other guests, who turned out to be vague relatives of the groom, and dined once again on seafood caught fresh that week, steak that was tenderized so that it fell apart on the plate, farm-fresh fruit and veggies, all of which was paired with fifty-year-old wine that was specifically chosen to go with each of the dishes.

Dessert was another long-winded fiasco. The bride and groom made another speech before making the first cut in the massive wedding cake, another tradition, and the servants finished it and passed a piece around to all of the guests. The slice she was given was vanilla bean with almond buttercream icing, the top adorned with a piece of almond praline dusted with gold. It was fantastic, but she ended up stealing bites of Zuko’s chocolate hazelnut slice.

“Come on.” He set down the napkin onto the table once dinner was finished and people were starting to mingle again. “We should go see Ty Lee.”

“Should I come with you?”

“Why not?” He took her hand and they waded through the crowd, eventually finding the crowded table where the bride and groom were sitting.

“Zuko!” The bride immediately lept up from her chair and enveloped him in a big hug that he didn’t seem prepared for. “It is so good to see you again!”

“You too. Congratulations.”

She pulled away, giving him some room. “And who’s this?”

“This is Katara.” He put a hand on her back.

“Hi,” she gave the jubilant girl a smile. “Nice to meet one of Zuko’s old fri—”

She didn’t get to finish the sentence, because she was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug herself. The tiny girl nearly knocked the wind out of her as she rocked her back and forth in her arms.

“I am so glad both of you came!” The bride pulled away and told the two of them, her round cheeks rosy from all of her smiling. “Thank you for sharing this amazing day with me.”

“Congratulations, really.” Zuko told her again. “And congratulations on everything else; I heard you were creating your own couture line.”

“I am!” She beamed. “The universe was giving me strong signs that it was time for a career change. This dress is mine; I was going to do the bridesmaid dresses too, but weddings take so much time to organize, even with a team of wedding planners.”

“It’s gorgeous.” She told her as the girl turned around, showing off the multitude of sparkles and ruffles like a princess in a Disney movie.

“Thank you! And I love yours, too, dear. Paul Vasileff is like, my hero, I love his work. Zuko, you know Chan.” She put a hand on her husband’s shoulder, who was eagerly chatting away with one of the other guests at the table and hadn’t given them any notice. At the touch, his head bobbed head around and he gave Zuko a stupid-looking grin.

“Haven’t seen you around in a while.” Chan had clearly been drinking judging solely by the awkward way he had to cling to his chair to stand up. “Good to see you again, man.”

“Same to you.” Zuko kept himself stiff as the drunk groom slapped him on the shoulder.

“Hey, listen,” the man put his arm around his shoulder, both for balance and to steer him away from the girls. “We have to catch up, and, you know, you’ve been out of town for too long.”

“Yes.” Zuko didn’t look very pleased about it, giving her one last look before he allowed himself to be carried off.

The bride grabbed her hand and did the same. “I want to know everything!” She squeezed her hands and instructed her to sit with her. “How did you two meet?”

“Ok,” she took her hands away from Ty Lee, using them to gesture as she told the story. “I work at a hospital, and one night his uncle was having some issues and they came in. I didn’t talk to him at the time, it was one a.m., but his uncle gave all of the hospital staff coupons to his tea shop and I ended up going. We met again there, and we started talking, and we went from there.”

She decided to embellish the story to leave out the embarrassing bits, but it was all she was willing to tell someone she’d met five minutes ago. The girl scrunched her nose and fisted her hands, squealing as she finished the story.

“That is literally the cutest thing I’ve ever heard!” She gave her a joyous smile and handed her a drink. “I’m literally so happy for both of you. Zuko is a really sweet guy; I’m so happy that he found someone, and that he actually met you like a normal person.”

“What do you mean?” She asked, taking a sip of champagne.

She rolled her wide brown eyes. “Zuko could never talk to girls without drinking. When he met Mai, his ex, they got drunk at a party and made out. Totally not romantic at all.”

The champagne suddenly went down the wrong pipe, and she ended up choking like a fish out of water.

“Oh, honey,” Ty Lee quickly became sympathetic, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that up in front of you.”

“No,” she croaked out, trying to properly swallow and get her breath back, “it’s fine.”

“So you’re like, a doctor?” She changed the subject.

“I’m just a med student,” she cleared her throat to even her voice out, “but you have to work for a doctor to get the degree, so that’s what I’m doing now.”

“Ooh, and she’s smart!” Her smile returned. “You’re literally so gorgeous too, do you model?”

“No. Not professionally, at least.”

“But you do?”

“I’m an art model.” She was making it seem like more than it was, but it wasn’t a complete lie.

“Ooh, I like it, it’s different. I can see it.” She did a quick examination of her face. “I would absolutely love you to model for me. I’m trying to make the models for my collections more diverse, you know? There’re enough skinny pale girls modeling already. Can you put me in touch with your agent?”

She wasn’t sure which part she meant when she implied that she would bring diversity: not being skinny, or not being pale, or both. She seemed nice enough for it not to be an insult. “Oh, I don’t really have one.”

“You’re in-between? Trust me, I know how rough that is. You know what? If I need to get a hold of you, I can just ask Zuko.”

“Yea, that’s probably the safest bet.” She nodded, trying to pretend like she was on some sort of level with this girl. She took a quick glance over to where the groom had pulled him off to. He looked like he was tolerating whatever conversation Chan was having with him, but barely.

“I don’t think I’ve seen him this happy in years.” The bride wistfully told her, tucking a hand under her chin.

“It’s your wedding day; it should be the happiest day of his life.”

“No, Zuko.” She pointed toward him. “His aura looks way pinker than it usually does. Whatever you’re doing, keep it up.”

“Uh, thanks.” She didn’t have the slightest idea what having a pink aura meant, but it sounded like a good thing.

“I can tell you guys are really good together.” The bride turned back to her. “Both of your auras look peachy pink!”

She couldn’t help but smile along with the girl; her joy was infectious. It was interrupted when another guest came up to congratulate her, and she found herself the odd one out. She politely excused herself and found a nice corner to wait in until Zuko was done talking to the groom.

“Enjoying your evening?” Asked another guest as she came to stand next to her.

The girl who’d spoken to her looked as elegant as everyone else did. Straight black hair, amber eyes, and a gorgeous designer dress with a golden dragon motif that stretched across one side. She had to do a double-take on her, but she could see it. The hair was the same, the eyes were a different color but similar, both tall. It was Zuko’s sister, just in a different outfit and with different makeup than the bridesmaid dress she had worn earlier.

“Yes, I am.”

The girl gave her a side glance and slightly raised an eyebrow. “I suppose if you’ve never been to one of these things, you might find it enjoyable.”

She almost laughed. What did Zuko say about her, how all she did was complain about the colors and the dresses? And now here she was, complaining about it again to someone she didn’t even know. Nothing could ever meet her standard. That’s exactly what she thought of Zuko when they’d first met, too.

“It’s good seeing you here.” Azula told her.

“It is?”

“Well, of course.” Her cherry red lips curved into a devious smile that lacked any of the sincerity from the kind words she spoke. “When we all saw the video, we hoped that we’d get to meet you. You’re famous, after all. I was really looking forward to seeing the second installment on PornHub, but watching you embarrass yourself in person is much more entertaining.”

Her blood ran cold. She’d nearly forgotten about that stupid video Jet took of them. She quelled the nagging fear that she was right, that everyone here had seen it and were laughing about her behind her back, and kept her chin level. She knew it was a lie, that Azula always lied, and that she was being intimidated. Zuko had warned her about his sister, and she’d made sure she was mentally prepared. 

“You like watching your brother with other women?” She said it louder than necessary to try and grab her attention, and it worked. Her pretty face and cold eyes snapped back toward her in an instant, but she kept her outward emotions in check. “I’m pretty sure that’s frowned upon in most civilized societies, but what do I know?”

“You’re one to talk about civility when you’re wearing TJ Maxx.” She retorted with a lazy roll of her eyes, easily brushing it off and trying to gain the upper hand again.

“It’s not TJ Maxx, it’s Paolo Sebastian.”

“It might as well be if it’s that old.”

“Who was it that said fashions fade, but style is eternal?”

Her smirk began to crack, betraying the anger she was trying to hide. “You think you’re clever, don’t you?”

“You don’t get into med school if you’re not clever. You wouldn’t know about that; you probably bought your way in.”

Her eyes narrowed on her as she slowly circled around her like a lioness waiting to pounce. “If I’m rich enough to buy my way in, I’m rich enough to buy your way out.”

“Is that supposed to scare me?” She put a hand on her hip. “I’m not even worth your time. Besides, it would cost you more than you think to make the Beifongs mad.”

The girl let out a barking laugh, her lips barely moving. “Just because you know a name doesn’t mean anything. Did my brother teach you that? He must be fond of his little pet if he’s teaching her tricks.”

“No, he didn’t. I’m their daughter’s caretaker. Lao and Poppy would be quite upset if they found out one of the Yamatos was responsible for me not getting into med school.” She made a pitiful face, pouting her lip. “Their daughter would be crushed; she just adores me.”

Toph could take perfectly good care of herself and would probably punch her if she heard her talk about her like that, but it was the only reasonable story she could think to spin to give herself an advantage. It was good enough that it made Azula pause, but in confusion rather than anger. “The Beifongs don’t have a daughter.”

“It seems you’ve been misinformed.” She looked her in the eye and told her icily. “If you want to go through with your little threats and schemes, you shouldn’t make that kind of miscalculation.”

Azula's perfect face looked like it was set in stone, and she took that as the perfect opportunity to excuse herself and try to hide elsewhere.

* * *

After what felt like hours, he finally managed to excuse himself away from Chan. He could never stand the guy, and he had even less patience for him now than ever. He was always more of a schmoozer when he drank and he was getting annoyed with the way he kept clapping his hand against his shoulder trying to pretend they were buddies, or the way he was trying to sneak sideways glances at Ty Lin’s ass as she passed them by.

When he finally managed to get away from his vice grip, Katara was gone from where he left her. Instead, a frazzled-looking Azula passed him by, her eyes fixed on her phone as she furiously typed away.

“Hey,” He tried to get her attention, so he said it again a little louder. “What’s going on?”

She finally looked up at him, her face wrought with concern. “Did you know the Beifongs had a daughter? Toph?”

“Yea?” She locked up and looked back down at her phone. “Not until recently though. Are you ok?”

“Your girlfriend’s a bitch.” She seethed, finally putting her phone down at her side. “You’d better tell her to shut her mouth if she knows what’s good for her.”

Normally, he would have been upset that someone called his girlfriend a name, but the way Azula said it made him more confused and impressed than angry. “What did she say to you?”

“Nothing.” She finally reigned in her anger and cooled off as she slipped her phone into her golden clutch that was tucked underneath her arm. “I just think you’re embarrassing yourself by bringing her to something like this.”

He looked out over the crowd for her, ignoring his sister for a moment. “Alright.” 

“I mean honestly,” she continued, “you let yourself be seen with someone wearing a dress that’s five years old? Where did she even get the thing; I know you couldn’t afford it. I know her family doesn’t have money either; they’re from the fucking tundra. And stop smirking at me like you’re the Cheshire Cat, Zu-Zu, it’s unbecoming of you.”

He couldn’t help himself. No one in the history of the world had ever managed to rattle his little sister this thoroughly, besides their father of course. He felt a little bit of pride in whatever Katara had said to make her this uneasy. If he wasn’t in love with her before, she sure was now. “Azula, you’re at a wedding. Go congratulate Ty Lee, dance with somebody, have a drink and calm down. Try to have some fun while you’re here.”

“You’re less than useless.” She huffed and turned around to go.

“Hey, uh, wait.” He’d thought about what Katara had said the week before, about how well her and her brother got along. It might be too late for he and his sister to have a decent relationship, but it was never too late to try. “Hey, just, don’t let Dad get to you, ok? Watch yourself around him.”

She rolled her eyes in an exceedingly dramatically way, overexaggerating on purpose to show how much she didn’t want to have this conversation. “I know how to read the fine print of the contracts I’m signing, dumb-dumb. There’s a reason I’m getting a law degree and you’re not.”

“Yea, right. Just be careful.”

She tucked in a stray hair that had somehow found its way loose. “I can take care of myself; you don’t need to treat me like a child.”

“God…” Now it was his turn to roll his eyes.

“Don’t look now, but I think Zhao’s got her.” She tilted her head toward the bar. A very angry-looking Katara was leaning away from a man with wide sideburns as he smiled and advanced on her.

He winced as he watched her bark something back at the middle-aged man. “Yea, I’d better go get her out of there.”

“I’m sure she can handle herself.” His sister mused, picking up a champagne glass from one of the passing servers.

“Careful. If I didn’t know better, then I’d mistake that for a compliment.”

“Well, do you?”

“What?”

“Know better?” She gave him a cold stare as she took a sip from the glass, and he figured that was all he was going to be able to get out of her. At least fighting with him had put her in back in her usual mood; if he couldn’t talk to her like an adult to try and console her, then he could at least let her win an argument with him.

* * *

Katara managed to find a quiet corner by the bar, although it wasn’t nearly as quiet as she’d have liked. Weddings were fun, but it wasn’t fun being alone. She was trying not to let Azula and the others get to her; when she passed by Mai, who had also changed out of her earlier style, she swore she heard a ‘she looks so blue, it’s making me seasick’ followed by quiet snickers and sideways glances from the girls that surrounded her. 

She wasn’t going to admit to herself that the way the women treated her here stung. Instead of focusing on their cruelty, she looked out over the reception instead. The glittering white lights, finely dressed people, expensive food and drinks, and the thousands of flowers made the whole affair look like a fairy tale. The bride was the princess, the groom the prince. She could tell they put a lot of work into making it go so smoothly, and she had to admit she was a bit jealous that her own wedding would never look this magical. She felt like a voyeur, looking into the lives of the rich and famous from the outskirts, only able to get a taste of the decadence that they lived in every day. The stares and gossip she endured were her price for viewing this and living within it for a few days.

“It’s a beautiful night for a wedding, isn’t it?” The man sitting next to her at the bar remarked, noticing that she’d been gazing over the scene.

“It is.” 

“How about a toast to the new couple?” He offered her a glass of champagne, a smirk stretching across his square face toward his sideburns. “May they always find happiness.”

She took the glass out of his hand and clinked it against his before taking a little sip.

“I don’t believe we’ve met before.” He looked at her closely. “Usually you see the same faces at events like this.”

“I’m Katara, I’m with Zuko.”

“So Zuko’s back in town.” He pondered and pensively sipped his drink. “It’s been a while.”

“Yes, he’s been tied up in Ba Sing Se.”

“That’s what I’ve heard, but I haven’t heard what he was doing there. Surely, you would know, could you please enlighten me?”

“Oh,” she tried to think of the lie Zuko had told everyone else as she played with her necklace, “he was doing some business for his father there. I don’t really know the specifics.”

“I’m on Ozai’s board of trustees, and he never mentioned the work his son was doing after he left. Actually, he preferred not to talk about his son at all.”

“He doesn’t talk about his father much, either.” She tried to deflect his suspicions.

He nodded in agreement and gave her another look-over. “Are you from Ba Sing Se as well, dear?”

She tried not to cringe at the pet name; the man was probably twice her age. The last thing she wanted to do was cause a scene or be rude. She was allowed to be petty, but not outwardly angry, so she swallowed the anger down. “I am.”

“You don’t look like an Earth Kingdom woman.”

“I’m from the Water Tribes.”

“This must be a pretty big change from the Water Tribe.” He licked his lips, and she tried to ignore him by looking out at the party again instead. “How much is he paying you?”

She snapped her head back to him. “Excuse me?”

“I’ll double it if you come home with me tonight.”

She suddenly realized what Zuko had meant when he said everyone would assume she could be bought. He meant it literally, and they thought she was a whore. They thought she was here because Zuko paid some girl from the tundra to be his mistress. The girls were catty about the way she dressed and the fact that she didn’t have money, but the men were far more predatory with their assumptions.

She looked at the man’s hand, nodding to the wedding ring on it. “I don’t think your wife would like that, and I wouldn’t either.”

It didn’t deter him. “Is that all he can buy you?” She hoped he was just staring at her necklace. “It’s insulting for an exotic beauty like yourself. You’d look much better with a string of pearls.”

By the way he was leering, she figured he’d meant that to be lewd. She geared herself up to chew him out, unable to keep her anger and frustrations about how she was being treated at bay any longer. She inhaled deeply and gripped the stem of her glass as she geared up to throw the contents at him and ruin his suit.

“Zhao, good to see you again.” Zuko deftly stepped behind her, putting one hand around her waist and the other taking Zhao’s into a handshake. “I see you’ve met Katara.”

“I have.” The smirk on his face faded as he realized his plans were dissolving. “She was telling me about your work in Ba Sing Se.”

“I’m sure. But if you excuse us, we need to get going.”

She didn’t need any more of an excuse than that. She hopped off of the little chair at the bar, letting him guide her out.

“Thank you.” She whispered when she was fairly certain they were out of earshot, but not quite. He just silently led her out of the outdoor gathering and back to the car. The valet pulled it around and opened the door, and he ushered her inside before himself. She quietly arranged the folds of the dress so they weren’t stepped on or wrinkled.

“Are you m—”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence. He practically jumped on her, knocking her down onto the seat and falling on top of her and smothering her in kisses. From how quiet he had been and how eager he was to leave she figured he slipped back into jealous moodiness; she wasn’t prepared for this.

“What did you say to my sister?” He asked frantically as he broke away.

“I…what?”

“What did you say to her?” He kissed from her below her jaw down her neck in between sentences. “You freaked her out.”

“I was just trying to make her leave me alone. That turns you on?”

“No.” He broke away again. “I was just surprised; she’s never freaked out.”

“You gave me a good warning, I guess.”

“Yea.” He smiled and pulled her into another kiss. “I’m sorry that everyone’s an asshole.”

“You did warn me. Ty Lee wasn’t bad. She’s a bit ditsy, but she’s sweet.”

“She was always one of the good ones.”

“How was Chan?”

“He stared at her sister’s ass the whole time he was talking to me.”

She winced. “Gross. That’s a shame.”

“Mh.” He didn’t really seem to care as he firmly pressed his lips to her neck again. “You made me wait all damn day to do this.”

“The driver’s watching.” She whispered in his ear after she noticed him looking at them through the mirror.

He broke away again, his face set in a glare that he cast toward the front of the car. “You get paid enough not to stare. Keep your eyes on the road.”

“My apologies, Mr. Yamato.” The driver said from the front. Zuko sat up more properly, reaching for a little black switch on the wall. When he flicked it, a window that she didn’t know was there before separated their section of the car from the driver’s portion.

“What has gotten into you?” She sat up on her elbows and fixed the top of her dress. “You’ve been all over me since we made up.”

He looked a little hurt when he looked back down at her. “Do you not want me to be?”

“No, I don’t mind it,” she sat up properly, “it just doesn’t seem like you. You were never like this before.”

He played with the end of his left sleeve with his opposite hand and fixed his eyes on the back window. “Sorry.”

“You don’t need to be sorry, I’m not mad. You just seem different, that’s all.”

He continued adjusting his sleeve so it sat properly. “I uh… I guess I missed you more than I thought I did.”

“Really?”

“Yea. I, uh…I don’t know. I kinda wasn’t really expecting this to be honest.”

“What do you mean?” She scooted next to him and readjusted her skirts.

“Honestly… I feel like I kinda fucked things up between us at every stage. There was that stupid video, then I broke up with you right after we wanted to get serious, and everyone ganged up on you tonight.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “I shouldn’t have brought you here around everyone and I shouldn’t have left you alone, that was a mistake.”

“It’s fine.” She put a hand on his arm. “People were mean to me back at the South Pole, and people were mean back in Ba Sing Se. You’re not wrong, all of that sucks, but you’re trying, and I can see that, and I really appreciate it.”

Before he could start getting jittery and nervous again, she slipped her arm around his and clung to his side. “It’s been a long day. Still no word from your dad?”

“Nope.”

She put her head on his shoulder. “Good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty friends, time to give you the references I used! [Katara's](https://evermore-fashion.tumblr.com/post/178277386900/paolo-sebastian-sirens-of-the-sea-spring-2015) dress is top row center. Even more fitting, it's part of Paolo Sebastian's "Sirens of the Sea" collection, which I didn't select intentionally because of the irony; I just looked for a pretty blue Paolo dress that was older and found that. [Azula's](https://chandelyer.tumblr.com/post/188386268788/heaven-gaia-spring-2020-rtw) is top right, a 2020 Heaven Gaia. Hers is, of course, in the current season. When I saw this in their spring collection (honestly, when I saw their 2020 spring as a whole), it screamed Azula at me. [Ty Lee's](https://lacetulle.tumblr.com/post/619106883995893760/zuhair-murad-springsummer-2016-couture) is based off of this Zuhair Murad wedding gown, but not exactly.
> 
> Additionally, the person Katara quotes at Azula when they're being catty is Yves Saint Laurent, although Coco Chanel paraphrased the quote as well. I also shamelessly stole Azula's quote from Maleficent; she fits the vibe, and that quote was the only good part about that movie. The Zhao/Katara scene was also loosely stolen from Pretty Woman, although Zhao was being much more of a dick than Phillip Stuckey was. 
> 
> A lot of weddings in Asia, particularly Japan, are done western-style now. I wanted to go for accuracy here, so that's why it's in a church even though the world of Avatar is almost exclusively Asian culture inspired. Just think of Crazy Rich Asians and what they did in there.
> 
> Holy shit one more chapter. I've decided to write a super long epilogue, not a short and sweet one, but wowwww I'm nearly done.
> 
> -nein


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Minor TW for racism, because again, rich people be racist.

He finally got the text he’d been waiting for when he and Katara were out to dinner by the beach the day after the wedding.

_> M: Hello, this is Ozai Yamato’s secretary, Ming. This text is a reminder that you have a meeting with him at 9:00 P.M. this evening. Please be prompt._

Looking back on that night, he could remember the before extremely well, but he could scarcely remember the after. He remembered that she’d finally learned how to surf by the end of the day and demanded they get drinks and dinner at a beach bar to celebrate. They sat at a table with a view of the water, away from the blasting music inside; he could even remember how the fresh sea air made the thatch roof sway in the breeze and how the sunset looked over the water. She had a cute little sunburn on her nose and cheeks and she was all smiles. She ordered barbeque with pineapple for the first time and loved it, even though she hated putting pineapple on pizza. He remembered going back to the hotel room and changing after getting the message, and her giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek as he ventured out alone. He remembered the exact route the driver took, noting all of the familiar buildings before stopping at the apartment complex his father owned. He remembered greeting the staff at the counter and flicking the button in the elevator to go to the penthouse on the top floor. He remembered how sick he felt when the elevator dinged as it reached the correct floor, and how his feet felt like they were made of lead as he strode into his father’s apartment.

The butler politely greeted him and escorted him inward toward the office, leaving him at the large wooden double doors. He inhaled deeply, trying to remember the calming breathing exercises his uncle always blathered on about, before opening the doors.

“Good evening.” His father was standing on the other side of the room perusing the contents of a binder. He flipped the cover shut, putting it back on the shelf where he found it.

“Have a seat.” Ozai casually motioned to the stiff wooden armchair across from his at the mahogany desk. He obeyed, and his father sat down across from him.

Ozai opened the top desk drawer and withdrew an oak box, inlaid with gold around the edges of the lid. Methodically, he undid the golden clasp and gently opened the lid, withdrawing a single cigar. “I just had these imported from the Hyushu providence.” He explained, sniffing one underneath his nose to ensure its quality. “They have an excellent flavor.”

“I don’t smoke.”

“No?” He removed the cigar cutter from the box next, placing it between his fingers and snipping the end. “I must have forgotten.”

The reason he didn’t know that was because he never cared to learn anything about his son, but he held his tongue as his father withdrew his lighter and lit the end. Noxious smoke billowed out of the lit tip, and he inspected it to make sure the light was even before putting it in his mouth and properly pulling.

“What made you decide to meet with me this evening?” He asked as politely as he could while trying not to choke on the waft of chemicals his father exhaled.

His father pinched the cigar in his right hand, leaning his elbow on the desk as he gave the flavor time to rest on his mouth. “I want to give you an opportunity, Zuko. No son of mine should be serving tea to peasants in the Earth Kingdom. You’re far too good for that.”

Ozai gave him a little smile of encouragement before taking another pull and rolling the smoke around in his mouth before exhaling again. Why was he being this nonchalant? His father never had a nice thing to say about him, why was he trying to butter him up all of the sudden?

“I’m willing to look past our disputes.” His father explained in the same honeyed tone, relaxing back in his chair. “That’s behind us now, after all, and petty squabbles hinder progress.”

He was tired of dancing around the point. “What do you want?”

“Zuko,” his leaned forward again, seeming sincerely concerned. “I want the best for you. You’re wasting your potential; our family is better than that. You belong back here.” He inhaled again. “I have a new venture that I’m working on. I’d rather not hire on someone that I don’t trust to handle it. I want you to do it for me; you’re more than qualified for it.”

He made a beautiful lie. Whatever it was, he wanted him to head it because he had little experience and could underpay him. It was probably highly risky and volatile, something he could easily blame him for when it inevitably failed, which is why he wanted him to do it instead of someone else. “Can you give me any details?”

“Oh, it’s far too early for anything definitive.” He smoothly deflected the question. “You’ll get them as it develops, but you’ll need time to move back here and get settled, anyway. You know, a new luxury building on fiftieth street just opened up that you could look into renting.”

“So you can’t tell me anything besides that you want me working finances for one of your projects again?”

His face set much more seriously. “You should be thrilled I want you back at all.”

“Should I? The last work I did involved hiding your money and now you won’t even tell me what I’ll be doing? What’s to say it’s not something illegal again?”

“You got paid enough not to question me.” He was starting to get pissed off; he needed to be careful.

“I thought you taught me to always get as much information as I could before signing up for something big.” He politely talked his way back down. “You said it yourself; I have excellent qualifications.”

He watched as his father ground his teeth together in annoyance, but he calmed himself as he contemplated the best way to reel him in. “And you do. Ba Sing Se is holding you back; but don’t just think about yourself. Surely, you’re tired of living in squalor, but think about what a good, steady job can do for your personal life.”

His father was always good at finding out the best way to get what he wanted, and he’d hit the nail on the head. He liked spoiling Katara. He hated that she had to go tens thousands of dollars in debt for her degree, and that she was going even more in debt for med school. It would be a dream for her to have all of that debt erased and to never have to worry about money again. He could help her family out; she already mentioned they don’t have proper medical care where she lives, and no doubt her family could use some monetary help. “What did Azula tell you?”

“Enough.”

He didn’t seem upset about it. This wasn’t adding up. “You’re ok with it?”

“I don’t care about your little Eskimo whore.” It was supposed to be a reassuring statement, but he couldn’t have said anything better to fan the flames of his temper. He desperately fought with himself to stay quiet and not show how much it upset him, biting his tongue so hard he tasted blood. “I do care, however,” his father continued with a slight sneer, “about how much of my money you waste on her when you’re not even working for me.”

Azula was allowed to call her a bitch last night because Katara was the only person who had pissed off his sister enough for her to get that angry. Jet, and now his father, deserved his ire for calling her a whore and being so callous. He finally snapped, putting both hands on the desk and leaning forward to get in his face. “Remind me, how much do three weddings cost? How much do a new pair of tits and a nose job for your secretary cost?”

Ozai set the cigar down on the ashtray and glared. “Get out.”

“Sorry, did I hit a sore spot?”

“You ungrateful bastard.” His father menacingly stood up taller than him and leaned his hands on the desk. “I was willing to forgive you and give you a second chance, and you throw my kindness back in my face.”

“Have you ever stopped to think that I might actually prefer serving tea than working for your deranged ass?” His blood was boiling over. “I don’t care about you or your dirty money, what I want is for you to back off and let me live my own fucking life.”

People don’t talk to Ozai that way. No one calls Ozai Yamato deranged and throws a series of expletives at him. He’s the boss, he’s in control. He was expecting the slap that came his way, learning well enough from years of this that what he’d said would set his father off. He’d also learned well enough to get out of the way of it, but he also knew it would set Ozai off even more.

“You spoiled little brat.” He spat at him. “Get out of my sight if you know what’s good for you!”

“No! I am not taking orders from you anymore. You listen to me,” he pointed a finger at his face. “You will not get me to do your dirty work anymore. I don’t give a fuck what you want me to do, we owe each other nothing. Don’t bother sending Azula after me. I am done. Whatever scheme you try and pull on me again, it won’t work.”

Those were the last words he spoke to his father before turning on his heel and out through the office doors. He ignored the expletive-laced yelling and the sound of something smashing as he made his way out of his father’s apartment and back to the elevator. Coming from the opposite direction was a girl, hurriedly walking over to the doors of his father’s office.

“You just had to go and make him mad, didn’t you?” She barely glanced at him, instead keeping her worried eyes fixed on the office. It made him pause; platinum blonde hair, a diamond big enough to feed a small country on her finger, not much older than he was, low-cut blouse. That must be the fiancée. She made a motion to press past him and continue on her path, but he grabbed her elbow. 

“Don’t go in there.” He calmly warned her. She gave him a confused look, her eyes darting between him and the wooden doors. “If I were you, I would get out as fast as you can. Take the ring and sell it and get as far away from him as possible, before he does this to you.” He pointed to the scar below his eye, and let the girl go. That was all he could do for her, he didn’t have the time to say anything more; whether she listened to him and broke out of his father’s grasp was up to her. She gave him one last peculiar look before he made his way out of that godforsaken apartment.

The ride home was a blur. The noise of the city was reduced to an undifferentiable buzz; the lights became smudges as the car dove past them; the buildings smearing together in his vision. Before he knew it, the diver was explaining that they’d arrived back at the hotel. It felt like time skipped again and he was back up in the room. He didn’t even realize how late it had gotten; Katara had all of the blinds pulled down, and she was fast asleep in bed. The only thing he could see was a lump under the covers on her side in the dim light. She didn’t stir when he sat down on the opposite side to take off his shoes and clothes, not caring enough to properly change, before pulling her over toward him. She finally stirred when he held her, letting out a soft sigh as he grabbed her waist from behind.

“Sorry.” He whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s ok.” Her voice was still groggy as she wiped the sleep out of her eyes and rolled over to face him, his hands still holding her. Her eyebrows knit in worry as soon as she put a hand on his. “Zuko, you’re shaking.”

Those three little words made his throat seize up. He responded by burying his face into her neck and hair, unable to even speak.

“Oh, Zuko.” She put a hand on the back of his head, combing her fingers through his hair. “It’s ok now.”

He hugged her as close as he could, hard enough that he heard her grunt as he pushed all of the air out of her lungs. He screwed his eyes shut and tried to force his heart to stop jumping all over the place. She let him stay still and silent, softly running her fingers through his hair and along his face. He was barely closer to relaxation when he finally calmed himself enough to loosen the muscles in his arm so that he didn’t squeeze the life out of Katara.

“Do you feel a little better now?” She asked, tracing her hands along his to ensure they’d stopped shaking.

“I think so.” When he went to rub his eyes, he realized his face was damp. Had he been crying? Good God, he hadn’t cried since he lost his mom, and now he’d just cried in front of his girlfriend because his dad was mean to him.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked softly, giving him a kiss on the forehead.

“He wanted me to work for him again.”

“I’m guessing by the way you phrased that, it didn’t work out?”

“No. I told him off. I think that was one of the biggest fights we’ve ever had.”

“Good.” She snuggled her face into his neck. “Screw him.”

He let her get comfortable as she pressed herself against him. He may not feel relaxed, but letting her lounge on him definitely helped. “You know what he said when I told him I graduated college?”

“What?”

“He asked if I made summa cum laude. I said that I did, and all he did was grunt. No ‘congratulations’ or anything. Even when I met his expectations, he didn’t even care.”

“I’m surprised with how headstrong your sister is that she puts up with it.”

“All our lives, we just wanted him to accept us. She gets off better because she does what he asks, and he’ll give her just enough approval to keep her hooked and coming back for more. I never really got that luxury.”

“People like him shouldn’t have kids.”

“No.” Of all things, talking about how shitty his dad is was starting to make him feel a bit better. “Did I ever tell you I got my tattoo just to piss him off?”

She giggled. “No, you didn’t.”

“I got it after I graduated. I figured if he wasn’t going to pay attention when I did something right, then the only way to get a reaction out of him was to do something wrong.”

She snuggled a little closer. “What a bad boy.”

Her little joke finally made him crack a smile when he thought about how ridiculous that sounded out loud. “Hey, Katara?”

“Mhm?” She tilted her head backward so he could look at her face. Oh man, now would be a great time to say it. Just say it just say it just say it.

“You’re going to be a great doctor, someday.” Stupid. “You’re really good at listening to people.

She kissed his cheek, pressing her lips into his face so that he could feel her smiling. “Thanks. We’ll figure the rest out in the morning, ok?”

Once he awoke from the stress-induced coma his father had put him in last night, he figured it was best to high-tail it and get out of the city. His father had made it clear that he wasn’t welcome here anymore, and knowing him, he would probably send the police to evict them from the room if they tried to stick around. Katara had the same idea; when she awoke before he did, she’d already booked them a flight home for that evening.

They checked out of the hotel room early that morning, before Ozai had the chance to take his card off of the room. He Venmo’d Katara his share for the flight back, and the spend the rest of the day mulling around at the airport. It was crowded, dirty, and their gate changed twice, but at least he was getting out of the hellhole that was Caldera City.

“You’re probably used to the private jet, but economy isn’t that bad.” She gave him a little encouraging nudge after they’d boarded, and with the crammed seats, she didn’t have to reach too far to do so.

“I don’t think I’ve ever flown economy before.” So much for trying to sound sympathetic.

“Just relax.” She gave him a half smile. “Would you be more comfortable with the window seat?”

“No, this is fine.” He fussed around until he found the cheap seatbelt and fastened it; she did the same. They settled in as the flight attendants helped the other passengers to their seats as the remaining passengers boarded. Thankfully, they managed to get seats next to one another. Katara said it was sometimes rare and cost a bit more, but he didn’t want to spend the entire ride home not being able to talk to her.

“Hey.” She gave him another gentle nudge. “How are you holding up? It’s been a long few days.”

“I feel like I just threw my future away.” He stared at the aisle as people continued walking down it, shuffling across the cheap carpet as they stuffed their bags in the crammed overhead compartments. “That was always going to be my life: working for Dad. I don’t want to work for my uncle forever, either. I don’t really know what I’m going to do now.”

She put her hand over the one he was resting on their shared armrest. “You’ll figure it out. You’re smart and you’re a hard worker; you’ll find something.”

“But what if I’m not good enough? What if he blacklists me and I can’t find work and I end up wasting my life? What if I just made the worst mistake of my life?”

“I think you’re putting too much faith in your father and not enough in yourself. If you wouldn’t have been happy working for him, then you didn’t make a mistake. You found work before, didn’t you? You can find something again; it might take time, and it won’t be as easy as your dad hiring you on the spot, but you’ll make it work.”

When he didn’t answer right away, she gave his hand a squeeze. “You like Ba Sing Se, right?”

“It’s ok.”

She giggled. He was going to ask what about this was so funny, but she turned and gave him a warm smile. “I think you’re going to like it a lot more now that you don’t have to hide anything or pretend to be someone else.”

For the first time in his life, he was free. He could do whatever he wanted, not worrying about living in his sister’s shadow or under his fathers’ heel. He could be with his girlfriend and not worry about what she might think if she knew the truth about him or what she would say if he told her how awful his family was. He could finally move on from the past and find himself anew in a different city. It was time for a new beginning, a new chapter in his life. And, for the first time, starting a new leaf was exciting and full of hope and happiness.

Maybe Katara was right; he was going to make it work. And she was going to be there with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow guys, that's a wrap for the main storyline! Next update will be a sweet little epilogue, and that's it!
> 
> I'll give a more proper shoutout when it's officially done with, but since things are over for the most part, I wanted to write a little "thank you" this week. I decided to procrastinate my schoolwork one dreary day in quarantine and decided to write the first chapter and post it, and so much has happened since then. I wrote my thesis, defended it, got a master's degree, got the first chapter of said thesis published, and got into a doctoral program with full funding in a foreign country. To all of the readers (whether you've made it this far or stopped after the first chapter and will therefore never read this): thank you for coming along for the ride with me. It's been a blast. Thank you all for giving me a little spot of creativity and a place in this fandom during my otherwise boring and work-filled quarantine. Thank you for not being mean and leaving positive reviews the whole way through (even if I didn't respond, I swear I read all of them and they always brighten me up; sometimes I'll even go back and reread them). I hope years from now someone reads this and they think "huh, COVID quarantine really made nein horny and lonely enough to write this, that must have been a wild time" and you will be absolutely correct!
> 
> -nein


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter woooo!! We love and stan long, fluffy epilogues in this household.
> 
> I know I thanked my readers and commenters last time around, but I want to do so again! Thank all of you lovely people for your support as I wrote this. A special shoutout to you sweet people who wished my luck with my thesis and my career; you have a special place in my heart.
> 
> One last thing before we start: as a complete aside, I feel the need to inform the fandom that Cactus Juice is real and you can buy it and get drunk off of it. I did so two days ago and, because it tastes like orange and pineapple juice, I got too drunk, texted all of my friends about it, had them tell me 'Ok, Sokka' a million times, and woke up the next day very hungover. Don't believe me? [Take a look](https://www.dekuyperusa.com/flavor/dekuyper-cactus-juice-schnapps-liqueur) (but please drink responsibly and don't follow your dear author's bad example):

Katara told him that she loved him for the first time when he bought Chinese takeout from her favorite place when she’d had a long shift during her first week of exams in med school. It was months after they’d come back and he was still too skittish to spit it out. He was too worried he’d say it too early and mess things up between them, so he decided he’d wait until she told him herself. They weren’t even planning on seeing each other that night, but he knew how exhausted she was, he had the night off, and a spare key to her apartment. It wasn’t fancy; only $20 worth of Chinese food that he had to throw in the microwave when she got home. It wasn’t overly romantic; no candlelit dinner, roses, or resulting from a long heart-to-heart talk. Just a boyfriend doing something nice for his girlfriend. That was what made her realize she loved him, a simple domestic gesture. She was almost angry when he told her he fell in love with her back in Caldera and couldn’t find the nerve to tell her, but after eating dinner and passing out from emotional exhaustion, she eagerly forgave him the next morning.

He got to know her crazy friends much quicker. They had dinners whenever they could all find time and she pulled him into their tradition, making a happy family of six. The two girls already knew him well, her brother had to give him a long winded talking to describing his alleged responsibility as her protector, and her ex tried to be open minded. He got closest with her roommate quickly; they bonded over their crazy rich families and their love of art. Toph was the one that introduced him to Lao Beifong properly, who offered him a more permanent position in his business. It wasn’t as simple as his father hiring him, but it felt real. He interviewed and competed against other qualified people from good backgrounds and got it on his own. It was a good job with benefits and a salary comparable to the one he refused, and Lao ran a much cleaner and more professional environment than Ozai did, which delighted his new boss when he informed him.

The ex, Aang, was a good kid. It took him longer to come around, but he made it clear from the beginning that he accepted their relationship, moved on from it, and held no ill wishes toward him. He became a peacekeeper for the UN, which took him all over the world to a million interesting places. He knew Katara wouldn’t have been able to follow him. Their relationship wouldn’t have flourished since he travelled so often, and he wholeheartedly acknowledged this. That didn’t stop him from bringing them back souvenirs when he was able to return to Ba Sing Se: handmade instruments from the native Sun Warriors in the Fire Nation, little trinkets made by tribes in the Earth Kingdom. He became an amateur photographer, wanting to always remember his adventures across the earth, some of his photographs even getting featured in National Geographic. Aang was a fascinating man, a global proprietor of peace and prosperity for people who otherwise didn’t have a voice, and an interesting friend.

Sokka took some getting used to. His early assumptions about him were correct: he was, well and truly, an idiot. It took Sokka six years and several changes to his major to finally get an engineering degree, so he wasn’t entirely stupid, but you’d never know it. To his surprise, he was also a big drinker. He could outdrink him with just about anything, and that was his way of getting to know the guy who was dating his sister. With him still in college and Katara extremely busy with med school, they’d started making a tradition of going out for drinks on nights she was gone. The very first time they did it, he knew he’d made an immense mistake. Sokka drank a yard of ale to start with, and he made him do the same to catch up. At some point, Sokka had the brilliant idea that he wanted to get a tattoo like his, and they found a shady tattoo parlor that was open at midnight that agreed to take the drunk idiot in. He cried the entire time and got a moon on his shoulder, something about it being really symbolic to his tribe. He made him leave and go to a convenience store halfway through because he was getting lightheaded and wanted sour gummy worms to spike his blood sugar (but they had to be the blue ones). Getting him home after that was an even worse nightmare (he refused to get into the goddamn Uber) and when he finally stopped crying, he wouldn’t shut up.

“Zuko.” He’d said as he stumbled into his apartment building, carrying him on his shoulder. “I just love you so much, man.”

“Ok.”

“I just really feel the love right now.” His voice started to crack, meaning he was starting to cry again. “I think I’m gonna ask Suki to marry me. I just love her so much.”

“That’s nice, buddy.”

“Are you gonna marry my sister? She’s the best little sister ever; why didn’t she come out with us?”

“Oh my God…”

“You know what, man,” he said one he'd finally got him down in bed like a child. “You fought a guy for my sister. You’re pretty cool, even if you’re kinda weird.”

“Thanks.”

“Can I have more gummy worms?”

“You need water."

“Fuck water, I need gummy worms. But they have to be the blue ones. Oh, and can you get me some beef jerky, the original kind?” He did, in fact, need water, because the next day he threw up blue everywhere. Katara and Suki were pretty pissed he let him get a tattoo, but that blew over quickly once the idiot explained to them that he hadn’t given him much of a choice. Sokka did eventually propose to his girlfriend, but that was years after their drunken adventure. It was also Sokka’s brilliant idea to wear Crocs to his wedding.

“Come on!” He’d pleaded, a pair of matching black ones in hand as a gift to him at his stag party. “It’ll be funny! Katara will love it!”

Katara did not think it was funny, and when they wore them in the groomsman picture, Sokka was rightfully smacked. He couldn’t have picked a worse best man.

Proposing to her was infinitely easier than saying he loved her for the first time. She did her residency just outside of the city, so they didn’t have far to travel to see each other. When he travelled out there one weekend, he stole her phone after she’d gone to sleep, looked through her Pinterest board labeled ‘If Zuko ever mans up and proposes’, found the ring she wanted, got her size from Suki, and slipped it on her finger while she was sleeping the next time he saw her. It wasn’t fancy or overly romantic, just like they always seemed to be, and she didn’t even realize it was there until it got caught on a latex glove while she was working. When she facetimed him crying from work, both from happiness and anger that they couldn’t celebrate in person, he knew he did it right. 

She wanted to go back to Ba Sing Se, where it all began, and make a life there. After she finished her residency, they got married and she moved into his apartment in the Upper Ring. She didn’t have a lot of family for him to assimilate into when they got married. Her father scared the shit out of him the first time they met with how stern and monotone he was, but he eventually came around. Hakoda wasn’t a bad man, he just wanted to make sure his daughter would be taken care of. Getting a good job from the Beifongs helped his case, but it was Sokka’s glowing recommendation that ultimately won over to his father in law.

Her first pregnancy was the most stressful time of his life. They waited for a long time to have kids after they were married until after she got her degree, had started working, and after they’d bought a proper house to raise children in. She wanted kids so badly and his uncle desperately wanted grandkids before he died, but he was terrified. He was afraid that something would happen to her and she would get hurt. He would never be able to forgive himself if she died, and he couldn’t take care of the kid alone. Neither of them had mothers or female family members that could help her through the pregnancy, the birth, or with childcare. Most of all, he didn’t know how to be a father, and was fearful of becoming just like his own. When he finally confronted her with all of this, she told him that she never would have married him if she thought that he was remotely like his father, and that became the tipping point. Everything with the pregnancy and birth went fine, thank God, and he was even more thankful that she was a doctor and knew what to expect medically since he knew jack shit.

He thought it all over as he slowly woke up next to her in bed. He brushed a hand along her side as she slept, looking back on how much his life changed in the twenty years since he’d met her. She’d gained a little weight, a few wrinkles, and some stretch marks; then again, so had he. Even still, what more could he ask for? She’d given him a new life and two children, they were talking about maybe having a third, and he was proudly married to one of the best pediatric surgeons in the country. All her old friends became the kid’s honorary aunts and uncles, and his uncle became their honorary grandfather. Her brother loved being the crazy, stupid uncle for the kids, even if his wife didn’t. The only thing he’d ever been slightly disappointed about was that neither of their children had her striking sky-blue eyes that he fell in love with, but she gave him a stern ‘that’s not how genetics work, Zuko’ lecture about it to mollify him.

He noticed his wife stir next to him, sighing as she shrugged her shoulders to stretch them. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her shoulder. “Happy birthday.”

She started waking up properly, and with eyes still closed, she turned around in bed to face him. He gave her a kiss on the forehead, and she stroked his cheek.

“Is this my birthday present?”

“No; the kids got you something.”

She sighed again. “Can it be my birthday present?”

He smiled and pressed his lips against her forehead again. “Later. They’re making you breakfast, so they’ll be in here soon.”

She made a little huff as she frowned in disappointment, but he knew she understood. Learning to be quick and quiet after the kids were born was a difficult skill, but one they were forced to master. The last thing they wanted to do was traumatize the kids or, when they were younger, wake them, and an eight-year-old and a six-year-old were still too young to understand. True to his suspicions, and after they’d woken up properly, the door to their bedroom slowly creaked open and two little bodies came shuffling inside.

“Happy birthday, mommy.” Little Kya was holding out a plate as she walked toward their bed, with Li following behind.

They both sat up in bed together, and he watched as Katara melted as took the plate. Kya planned the whole thing out days ago; she saw someone in a movie giving their wife breakfast in bed, and decided she had to do it for mommy. Being eight, she couldn’t exactly cook, but she wanted to do it on her own. Her magnificent breakfast was a single Eggo waffle, covered in syrup and rainbow sprinkles on a paper plate.

“Thank you.” His wife took it from her and took a bite. “That’s very sweet of you.”

“Is it good?” Kya asked.

“I love it.” She told their daughter in her mom-voice. “I love the rainbow sprinkles.”

“That was my idea!” Li beamed at her, his crooked smile missing its front tooth.

“And it was a very good one.” She complimented him.

“Mommy, are you getting birthday cake too?” Kya asked. “You can’t have a birthday without birthday cake.”

“I have that covered, bug.” He finally spoke up. “But birthday cake is for later, not for breakfast.”

“It’s mommy’s birthday.” She pouted. “If mommy wants it for breakfast then why not?”

God, that girl dug in her heels as much as her mother did. “Birthday cake later, young lady.”

Their daughter gave him a nasty frown, but complied. The kids stayed a little longer, sitting on the bed and talking, before filing out of the room and back to their own business.

“It was all their idea.” He ran a hand down her back as she ate her breakfast.

“They’re too cute.” She took another bite. “I’m gonna cry the day Kya turns into a moody teenager and hates us.”

“Were you a moody teenager?”

“My mom died when I was six, so yea, I probably was. And I know you were.”

He laughed softly and kissed her cheek. “If you keep bullying me, I’m gonna divorce you.”

She gave him a little smile in return. “If you divorce me, you can take Sokka.”

“That sounds like more of a curse than a gift.”

She giggled and finished the rest of her breakfast, putting the plate on their nightstand. He got up out of bed, stretched out his arms to work out the stiffness in his joints, and got dressed.

“The kids probably made a mess in the kitchen; I’ll go make sure it’s cleaned up.” He shuffled through their dresser, pulling out what he needed, almost forgetting the little gift he wrapped up and hid beneath his shirts until his fingers brushed across it.

“Here.” He pulled out the flat square box and handed it over to her. “Happy birthday.”

She gave him a peculiar look and undid the wrapping paper to reveal a black velvet jewelry box. He watched her open the lid, and her jaw dropped when she saw what was inside.

“I know you were really upset when your mom’s necklace broke, so I had it refurbished.” He explained as he threw on a shirt. The necklace he’d given her in replacement for it was a series of sapphires, ranging in color from blue to white. The darkest blue ones were in the center, with the centerpiece being a large indigo stone. The color of the gemstones gradually lightened further from the center to display an ombre effect. He pointed toward one of the darker blue sapphires near the center. “That one’s your mothers. The rest are from me.”

“Zuko…” She gently lifted it out of the case and into her hand, running her fingers along the stones. “This is beautiful.”

“I know its not the same, but I figured it would still allow you to feel close to her.”

“I love it.” Her voice cracked a little at the end, and she wiped her misty eyes with the back of her hand before giving him a hug. “Thank you so much.”

He wrapped his arms around her midsection and hugged her in return. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

* * *

The doorbell rang around dinnertime, followed by the clacking of heels against hardwood floor as whoever arrived let themselves in. After six years of arriving in the same haughty manner, he already knew who it was. He paused his work in the kitchen and looked over at his wife, who was busy drying her hands in preparation to greet their visitor.

“Auntie Azula!” He saw the two kids come peeling out of the living room and ran over to the door to cling to her legs.

“Hello little beasties.” His sister kneeled down in the entryway, wrapping an arm around each kid. “We can say our greetings later; I have something for both of you.”

“Really?” His son asked with a big grin.

“Yes, really.” She repeated. “Run outside and see.”

His sister’s presence in their lives was relatively new. She went through an ugly breakup right after they had their daughter; she found out the man she was engaged to had been cheating from the beginning and promptly called the wedding off. He’d never seen her so unhinged; she had a breakdown and had no one to go to. She was never close with uncle, and she ended up driving some of her old friends away. So, Katara invited her to Christmas; Azula refused, of course. She came around for the second Christmas, when Katara just found she was pregnant again. Azula had no idea what to do with the baby; she refused to hold her or do anything with her, terrified she’d throw up or poop on her and ruin her clothes. Nothing in their home was up to her standard of living; she almost slept in a hotel room after diner. But when they gave her a present on Christmas morning and said how proud of her they were for rebounding so well after such an ugly breakup, she lit up like a child. Ever since then, it’s been a family tradition; they spend Christmas day here with Azula and fly to the South Pole for the week after to visit with Katara’s family.

She went from not wanting anything to do with the kids to living vicariously through them. Whenever she was in the city, she would stop by and bring them presents. Katara teased it was because she wanted the next one named after her, but he knew better. Neither of them had proper childhoods, and his sister would be damned if her niece and nephew weren’t rightfully spoiled. Kya always loved playing princess with her aunt, who on one occasion bought a real diamond tiara from Cartier for her. They tried to make her return it, but she refused, citing ‘My God, Zuko, she wanted to play princess. A princess needs a tiara!’

“Kids!” He called to them from the kitchen before they could run outside. “What do you say to your aunt?”

There were two ‘tank you’s!’ from the entry way and the shuffling of little feet putting on shoes, followed by the clack of heels as they came into the kitchen.

“Happy birthday, darling.” His sister greeted Katara with a kiss on both cheeks. “You don’t look a day over thirty-five.”

“Thank you.” She pulled her into a hug. "You look good yourself."

“You absolutely have to let me get you into that new boutique on fiftieth street one of these days. Their winter collection would look marvelous on you.”

“Where would I wear something like that?”

“Find an occasion.” Azula pulled away and handed over the paper bag in her hand. “This is yours, dear.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that.” Katara pulled out the present, a big bottle of red wine. Knowing his sister, it was some expensive, rare vintage that neither of them had ever heard of.

“You had two children with my brother.” She waved a hand. “You deserve all of the wine in the world.”

“Thank you.” She put the bottle on the kitchen counter with a smile. 

“This is new.” His sister’s fingers found their way to her necklace. “I like it.”

“A birthday present from Zuko.”

“You have to give me the name of the jeweler that did it, dear. My brother might be a bonehead, but good taste runs in the family.” Azula let go of her necklace and walked further into the kitchen toward him. “Speaking of, would you mind if I stole Zu-Zu for a minute?”

He rolled his eyes and leaned on the marble countertop. “Azula, I’m forty-three years old. How long are you going to keep calling me that?”

“As long as it bothers you.” She smirked toward him, and the two left the room together. He ushered her toward the master bedroom, where the kids wouldn’t go while they were playing with their toys. He sat down at the edge of the bed while his sister paced nervously, looking out the window.

“I have some…news from home.” She explained.

“What’s going on?”

“Dad’s dead.” There wasn’t much sadness or remorse in her voice as she said it. “He passed away a few days ago, a heart attack.”

He couldn’t help cracking a smile. “You didn’t come here to try and convince me to go to the funeral, did you?” The last time he had correspondence with his father was when he got married, and that wasn’t a conversation. He sent him a little wedding gift and a note, both of which were likely from his secretary and not him. The last time they’d spoken in person was just after Ty Lee got married, nearly twenty years ago. He kept the children far, far away from him and his influence; Katara had never met him, either. He wasn’t even sure if his father ever knew how old his grandchildren were.

“No.” She paced over to him. “There’s some legal matters regarding the estate that need settled.”

“I’m sure. His money was a mess.”

She curled her lip. “Zuko…he left you in the will.”

His own heart nearly stopped. “What do you mean?”

“He left the two of us his share of the company. Technically, you and I are co-owners at the moment.”

“What?” That was the last thing he’d been expecting. “Why? Why would he do that? He hated me.”

“Even in death, he’s a petty man.” She lightly drummed her fingernails against the windowsill. “He probably figured that you and I will squabble over it and that I’ll sue you into the dirt for the share, but he didn’t know I’d been coming here for the past six Christmases.”

She walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down with him. “I need you to come back with me and get this figured out, just for a few weeks. You can keep it if you want and we could stay co-owners, but it would mean uprooting your family and moving over there. Or, you could sell it to me; I’ll pay you what it’s worth.”

“How are you doing with all of this?” He asked her, deciding to change the subject. She’d never been close with their father either, but she knew him better than he did.

“I’m fine.” She assured him, but still kept her face neutral. “Ty Lee and I were discussing some…things now that he’s gone, but we aren’t sure if we’re ready yet.”

“It’s a big decision. Don’t rush into it.”

She looked back at him apprehensively. “Which part?”

He gave her a little smile, hoping it would make her feel better. “Seeing as I’ve never had to come out, I meant getting married.”

She nodded pensively. Father would have done far worse to her than he did to him if he found out his daughter wasn’t straight. It was a recent revelation for both her and Ty Lee, who decided to keep it between them and him; Katara didn’t even know yet. Ty Lee had an ugly divorce after her husband cheated a while back and had stayed single and career-focused for years. The two really found each other after Azula’s failed engagement. He was happy for both of them; he hadn’t seen them together to know how well they clicked, but they’d been friends his entire life. At the very least, they would be a good support system for one another, and God knows both of them need that.

“I understand this is going to be hard on your family.” She sighed again. “With Katara working and the kids. If you need anything, a nanny, a maid, hell, a chef, I’ll pay for it.”

“I’ll talk it over with her.” He rubbed his eyes and sighed. “This is…a lot to think about.”

“I know it’s being thrust upon you and your family, but either way, you’ll come out of it a rich man.” His sister gave him an encouraging little half smile and put a hand on his shoulder.

He didn’t need the money; he already had everything he could ever want. Their father died a bitter, lonely man from an illness that probably resulted from his vices. His life could go horribly wrong in his remaining years, but he and his sister certainly turned out better than his father had. He had a family, friends, a wife that loved him, and he had grown close with his sister again; she finally found family and love. They survived the poison that surrounded their father and managed to come out healthy and strong. They both had something in their lives to be hopeful about. He wasn’t prepared to leave this city behind, not yet, and he knew that he would return once this final battle was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I don't offend too many people, but sorry! It's biologically impossible for these two to have kids with blue eyes! I know it's cute, but it's a massive pet-peeve of mine when I see people draw their family and their kids have blue eyes. Yes, I hear you say, "but nein, if you go to the wikipedia page for eye color, you'll see it states that eye color doesn't follow Mendelian inheritance and ACTUALLY it is biologically possible!" If you read further, you'll see that it's less than a 1% chance, which makes it highly unlikely. This couple needs to have over 100 children to have maybe one child with blue eyes...come on, let's be logical and biologically correct. Can you tell I have a masters degree in biology?
> 
> We also love and stan bisexual, rich, wine-aunt Azula in this fandom. I also hope you enjoyed the sequal to 'that's rough, buddy.' I very nearly made Zuko and Sokka's drunk adventure a one-shot, but I figured it belonged more in here.
> 
> The one thing I will leave you readers with are promotions! There's nothing of value on [my tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/neincraff) , but my askbox is always open. I am also writing two other Zutara stories, so please give them a read if you like my writing (I would really appreciate it). I updated both today, so go give them a look when you're done here! [One](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25601008/chapters/62136406) is a little piece I started writing for Zutara week that takes place in a world where Ursa took Zuko the night she was banished, [the other](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26198455/chapters/63755989) is my next big project where the Fire Nation is in a civil war and Sozin's Comet never happened.
> 
> Once again, thank you all for reading, commenting, and giving me kudos. It's been a wild ride.
> 
> -nein


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